All I Can Do
by Josephm611
Summary: Buck Hardwick, a crippled seventeen-year-old from District Ten, is reaped for the 74th Annual Hunger Games. He's been told how useless he is over and over again, but he's determined to show that he is more than just another one of the Capitol's puppets.
1. Chapter 1: The Reaping

_A/N Welcome to my first fanfiction! I'm new to this, so I would appreciate any tips, criticism, or suggestions._

**Chapter 1: The Reaping for the 74th Annual Hunger Games - District 10**

I wake up and glance at the clock. 10:30. Darn, I overslept. In District Ten, the reaping starts at 11AM, so I barely have any time. Not to mention my bad foot. I was born with it, so I'm used to it. After all, I've had to cope with it for 17 years. I can get around without a crutch, but I'm still annoyingly slow. I try to estimate how long it will take me to change into better clothes, which the stupid, moronic, idiotic Capitol makes us do, eat a quick breakfast, and get to the square. Thankfully, we don't live in the far corners of the district, so I'll make it if I don't get distracted. Talking about being distracted...

Too late for that. I'm two minutes into the day and my mind has already wandered off. I sigh. Some things never change, including the fact that my family is relatively poor, I might never get a decent job because of my crippled foot, and that this is all the Capitol's fault. If the Capitol just thought of us for once, life would be so much easier. I wish I could give those ridiculous self-centered fools a taste of their own medicine.

Calm down, I tell myself, I have a lot to do. I look at the digital clock, one of our most precious possessions, which is plugged into the only reliable electrical outlet in the house. We're pretty lucky to have one of those. The clock reads 10:35. Darn. Another 5 minutes lost. I climb out of bed and hobble over to the old chest where the clothes are, and I take out a blue plaid shirt and my best pair of jeans, put them on, and hobble to the kitchen, one of four rooms in the house. The other three are the bathroom, my parents' bedroom, and my room, where my older brother, who is now married, used to sleep too. My mother is eating at the table, and I see an untouched bowl of grits sitting in front of an empty chair. I'm assuming it's mine, because my father always goes into the fields the morning of the Reaping. He says that it's relaxing, but we all know that he does it to sort out his emotions. I sit down. We eat in silence, because no one is in the mood to joke or talk about happy things, and the alternative is worse. My family was never very talkative in the first place.

I hurry, hoping I'm not late for the reaping. At least I don't eat slowly. I quickly finish and head out. The streets are pretty quiet, but I need the head start. As I pass my best friend Clay's house, he comes out to meet me.

"Hey, wait up!" he calls, even though he knows as well as I do that he'll have no trouble catching up to me. I keep moving. In a few seconds, he's beside me.

"What do you want?" I ask him gruffly. He also knows that I'm usually in a bad mood on reaping day.

He pretends to be hurt, then says, "I just didn't want to walk to the reaping alone."

I understand him. He's eighteen, and he has 34 entries this year. Not the most; I know people with fifty-something entries, but it only takes one slip of paper to ruin his life. In a way, the Capitol has made life into a huge survival game. We take tesserae, but we run a higher risk of being called at the reaping. In other words, by trying to live, we run a higher chance of dying. I feel anger burning my insides. I don't know what I would do to gain the privilege of killing Snow, that evil, white-bearded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Uh, I don't know what he is, or even if there are words bad enough to describe him. Anyway, Clay took out four tesserae for the first six years, one for him, one for each of his parents, and one for his younger brother Weston, who would be twelve this year. Weston died of disease last year, so Clay only took out three tesserae this year. His family is a lot poorer than mine; one tesserae per year is enough for my family. My brother turned nineteen when I turned fifteen, so I've been taking out one tesserae every year for the past three years. I have nine entries this year. I walk the final stretch silently while Clay tries to start a conversation, making a lot of awkward jokes in the process.

After we reach the square, we sign in. Because of how slowly I walk, the square is almost full, despite my early start. Before I head toward the seventeen-year-old section, Clay tells me to meet him at our usual meeting spot, an old barn near our section of the district. I nod and hobble toward the area where the seventeen-year-olds stand, and I reach it just as Justus, the escort for District 10, a chubby man with orange and yellow hair, walks on the stage. The routine is the same, with the reading of the Treaty of Treason and all that trash, although it passes all too quickly.

The previous victors are introduced. District Ten has had four victors, but only three are still alive. The first one of the three is Wyatt Gresham. His games were so long ago that no one really remembers them. Apparently, he won because of his strength, and he is still very strong for a sixty year old man. The next one was Cheyenne Studd. Her father was a butcher, so she had plenty of experience with knives. The youngest one is Austin Orford. He won twenty or so years ago, but people still talk about his games. He was good with a whip, and he won after his sponsors gave enough money for him to have one.

Before I realize it, the girl's slip of paper is being pulled out. I don't really care, since after everyone teased me about my being crippled, and I responded with ignoring everyone, I don't really know anyone that well, with the exception of Clay, his dead brother Weston, and my family, of which I am the only person still eligible for the reaping. So, I really don't care what girl goes to die.

"Meadow Fairbanks."

I see a sixteen year old girl, her face contorted by panic, shakily make her way up the stage. I clearly remember her, because I don't forget my torturers. She was one of the worst at school, even though she eventually gave up when I started ignoring her. Still, she was on me for four long years. I look in shock at her face. She looks so different from the mean, sarcastic girl I remember. Maybe I do care, just a little. All too soon, the boy's name is being picked out.

"Buck Hardwick."

No, this can't be. But it's true. My name just came out of the bowl. Then I realize that my reaction isn't much better than Meadow's. I harden my face like I used to do and hobble up to the stage. While I do this, I hear gasps among the crowd. Ugh, I hate pity. More determined, I pick up my pace and hold my head straight, refusing to look down. I stumble over a branch. More gasps. Not now! I feel my cheeks burning red. I'm trying to avoid pity, but I get more the harder I try to avoid it. I sigh and continue toward the stage. Thankfully, Justus comes over and helps me up the stairs. I don't think I would've made it up without tripping if I tried by myself. He asks for volunteers, but I already know that no one will. No one from ten ever volunteers.

I shake Meadow's hand, as I am required to do, and we head into the Justice building.


	2. Chapter 2 : On the Way to the Capitol

**Chapter 2: On the Way to the Capitol**

A peacekeeper takes me and half-drags me into a room. He leaves, and the door slams behind him. I sit down on a chair. This is the most lavish room I have ever seen. The walls are covered in tapestries, and the carpet is softer than anything I know. There is a small table by one wall, situated underneath a huge mirror. Portraits of people I don't recognize hang over the tapestries, and the color scheme almost completely consists of orange and red. Red, the color of blood. My first visitors are my parents. My mother is crying, and my father seems to be on the verge of a breakdown. For a few minutes, my mother's arms are wrapped around me, and then my father's. I try to comfort them, but the words don't come. They know as well as I do that a boy with a crippled foot has virtually no chance in the arena. Then a peacekeeper comes and takes them out of the room. I don't want them to go, but they must. Besides, if they stayed just a little longer, I would be in tears, which would wash away the tiny chance I have of surviving by announcing "Weakling Here" to the rest of the world.

The next people to walk in are my brother and his wife. I've never been very close to him, but now I realize that I'll miss him very much. It reminds me of an old saying, "You never know how much you have until you lose it." I didn't know how much I loved him. I give each of them a hug, and they are gone.

My last visitor is Clay. We sit in silence for a while, then he speaks.

"I should have volunteered for you."

"No," I reply, "Your family needs you to survive; my family can make it without me."

"But still-," he starts to say.

"No," I say again, cutting him off, "You made the right choice. I don't want to talk about it. "

The sad, depressing silence returns. He tries to get the the ball rolling again, but he doesn't succeed. A peacekeeper lets us know that time is up, but before he leaves, Clay pushes an object into my hand and clutches my hands for a few seconds. Then he's gone too. I sit back down and look at the object in my hands. It's a small wooden disk, and I immediately know what it is. When Clay and I were younger, we used to make these disks out of scrap wood we found. Then we would see who could throw them the farthest. I usually won. Well, that's what the game was on some days. On other days, we shot each other with them. He won on those days, since my foot kept me from moving quickly. It might not seem like much, but most kids in ten have to make up their own games, since we're so poor. When Clay turned fifteen, his parents gave him a deck of cards, which must have been very expensive, and we stopped making these disks. I let the wave of memories wash over me. This is a perfect token; to remind me of the better days.

A peacekeeper tells me it's time to head to the station. "It's too early," I think. Oh, I had forgotten about my crippled foot. I follow him out and to the station. He seems very impatient, but then again, most people are, since my top speed is a normal person's walk. I reach the station just as Meadow does. They all slow down for me. Embarrassing. After what seems like hours of pushing through cameramen and reporters, I finally get inside the train.

The train is even fancier than the Justice Building. I first sit down, then I stand up again.

"You might want to sit for a while," Justus advises.

"Why?" I ask, but the train answers my question. It starts to accelerate at an alarming speed, and I fall over onto the floor. I look at Justus. He's obviously amused. I glare at him. After a while, the train seems to remain at the same speed, and I can walk again. Well, I can sort of walk; I keep losing my balance. I stare at Meadow. She looks away, being careful not to look into my eyes. She looks ashamed. Well, she should be. After all, she ruined many years of my life with her constant harassment.

"First things first," Justus says, "I'll show you your rooms, and then we'll eat lunch with your mentors in the dining car." I had forgotten about the mentors. Not like they'll be able to help much.

"Who's mentoring this year?" Meadow asks, and I don't recognize her voice. It's softer than I remember.

"You'll find out at lunch," Justus answers, "Buck, wait here while I take Meadow to her room." He probably thinks I'm too slow. He probably thinks I'm hopeless. He's probably right. I'll be lucky if I make it out of the bloodbath alive. That is, if I decide to go in. Wait, hold that thought. What if...

Justus quickly returns and brings me to my room. It takes a while, because I'm still not used to moving at high speeds, but I eventually make it.

"Take a shower, then meet the rest of us in the dining car," Justus commands, "If you turn right in the hall and keep in that direction, you can't miss it." He walks out. I open the closet. More clothes than I will ever need in a lifetime are in there. I pick out a green shirt and jeans and head into the bathroom. I realize that I've never taken a shower. Sure, I've had baths, but I've never had a shower. I try it out, and it turns out that it's very soothing. I let the water run over me, and I notice that the bottom of the tub prevents slipping. How nice. I turn off the water, put on my clothes, and head toward the dining car. I trip once, but I think I'm getting the hang of moving on a high-speed train.

I work my way down to the dining car. Unsurprisingly, I'm the last one to get there. I reluctantly sit down beside Meadow, as there aren't any other empty chairs. I look at the people sitting at the table. Seated across from us are Austin and Cheyenne (I guess they're mentoring this year), and Justus sits at one end of the table.

"Now that you're here, we can begin lunch," Justus says. Servants bring plate after plate of food. Some are common in District 10, such as beef and pork, since we take care of the livestock, while others are delicacies I've never heard of, such as shark fin soup. Justus gives us our schedule while we eat.

"Since District 10's reaping happens earlier than most district's, you have the rest of the day to yourself," he says. I couldn't care less, but since he's our escort, I guess making sure we're on time is his job. "Dinner will be at 5:30, and we'll watch the recaps of other reapings afterwards," he continues, "We'll be arriving in the Capitol early tomorrow morning." Great, the Capitol, where the people are anxious to see us die.

"Who's mentoring who?" I ask. I'm hoping for Austin, since he's friendly and seems like he would understand me more. Besides, I'm not bad with a whip.

"Why don't you ask them," Justus replies. I look at the previous victors expectantly.

"Well," Austin starts, "I'm currently in charge of you, Buck, so Cheyenne will mentor Meadow. You two fine with that?" Meadow and I both nod. "Good. Let's start now."

"As your mentors, it's our job to try to keep you alive," Cheyenne says, "However, we can only help you if we know what you are good at. Are you fine with letting your partner know your strengths?" Partner. We'll be trying to kill each other soon, so "partners" doesn't describe our relationship very well. But I nod anyway. Apparently, Meadow doesn't see a problem either, because she starts talking.

"I'm okay with a knife," Meadow says, "and I know quite a bit about human anatomy, such as the weak spots and the pressure points." I grimace. Now I know why she was able to get to me so well before.

"Anything else?" Cheyenne questions.

"I'm stealthy enough to avoid scaring the animals," Meadow replies. I mentally make a note to listen carefully one I'm in the arena.

"How 'bout you?" Austin asks me.

"Umm, I've been using a whip for a while, and I'm not bad at it," I cautiously say.

"We'll see about that," he says. I get the impression that he doesn't believe me. "Anything else?"

"My accuracy in general is pretty good, " I say, thinking about how I always beat Clay, "and just because I have a crippled foot doesn't mean I'm weak. I'm not exceptionally strong, but I have some muscle."

"Accuracy doesn't help if you don't know how to properly use a weapon. Try the knife, archery, and spear throwing stations in training," he comments.

Everyone's about done eating at this point, so one by one, everyone starts to leave. First Justus, then Austin and Cheyenne. But before Meadow disappears down the hall, we lock eyes for a second. She quickly looks away and rushes back to her room, but I saw it in her eyes. Pain.


	3. Chapter 3 : Arriving at the Capitol

**Chapter 3: Arriving at the Capitol**

Pain?

I'm sure it was pain. Because I was always alone at school, I grew a habit of watching others. Over time, I became good at reading people's emotions. Yes, it was pain. Good. She has done so much bad that I'm glad she's hurt. Give her a taste of her own medicine. But I can't help wondering why. Of course, she was reaped, so she would definitely be sad, but would she be hurt? Was she like this before the reaping? I was too worried about looking weak that I didn't notice. Why on earth do I care? Is it because I only have a few days to live?

I finally reach my room, and I spend the next couple of hours lying on the bed daydreaming about home because I don't have anything else to do. I think about my parents. What are they doing now? Usually, they would be preparing a good dinner, since the cruel Capitol forces us to celebrate the Hunger Games, but in the past, the families of tributes didn't celebrate. Is my mother still crying? What about Clay? He had told me to meet him after the reaping, but he hadn't counted on me being reaped. Where is he now? I'm so tired.

I hear a knock on the door. I sit up. Must have fallen asleep. After all, last night's sleep was full of nightmares, nightmares that now might become reality. I hear Justus' voice, calling for me to go to dinner. Dinner already? I guess I've slept for quite a while.

I walk to the dining car. Again, I'm the last one there, but the only difference from last time is that they've already started eating without me.

"Hurry up and eat. The recap of the reapings is going to play in half an hour," Justus tells me. I definitely eat a lot faster than I walk, and I finish before everyone else. I go to the room with the television to wait.

The room is luxurious, with three couches and a huge television, the largest I have ever seen. The others arrive and Justus turns it on. We're a little early, so they're replaying footage of previous games. I don't bother to watch. Watching the games will only make me depressed. Thankfully, the footage ends soon and the recaps begin.

District One and Two are the same as always, strong trained volunteers. The girl from Three looks like a fast runner. Four seems weaker than usual. The girl from Five is cunning. It's so obvious; the way she walks, the glint in her eye. The ones from Seven appear to be close friends, and they clasp each other's hands before they are forced to. The boy from Eight is a little stronger than usual, and he looks steaming mad. I guess the rumors about Eight being a rebellious district might be true. Both of the tributes from Eleven catch my eye. The girl is supposedly twelve, but she looks a lot younger. On the other hand, the eighteen year old male looks a lot older than he is. At first glance, he seems like he shouldn't be in the reaping. Last comes District Twelve. The tributes from Twelve are usually so pitiful that no one pays attention to them, but it's different this year. A twelve year old is called, and I'm about to sigh, when the unexpected happens. Her sister volunteers. I don't think anyone from Twelve has ever volunteered. The boy is called, but when they shake hands, I see a strange look in his eyes. I can't decide exactly what it is, but it looks like longing.

I'm thinking about this when Justus says, "You two better get some sleep; tomorrow's going to be a big day." I look around and see that Austin and Cheyenne have left the room. Justus walks out, leaving me and Meadow. I look at her, and she keeps avoiding my stare. After what seems like forever, she breaks the silence.

"Buck, I'm, I'm, " she falters, "I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was doing."

The room is silent again. Without warning, a tidal wave of emotions and memories hits me.

"What do you mean, you didn't know what you were doing," I finally spit out, "You knew exactly what you were doing!" I hear my voice rising. "You knew what you were doing when you tormented me for four years! You hear that? Four long years!"

"I'm sorry! I'm very sorry," she replies, "I"

"And you think that a little 'I'm sorry' will make up for everything?" I say, cutting her off. I'm shouting now, every word dripping with anger and contempt.

"I know this won't make up for it!" she replies, her voice also getting louder, "I was just hoping that-"

"Hoping what?" I scream at her, "Nothing you do will make up for those years when I went home every day trying not to cry! You hear that? Every. Single. Day. You can never fill those holes!" She looks like she's about to cry now. Even better. I've wanted to do this for so long. Now she knows what I felt. "You know what? You are a horrible person! I'm glad you got reaped! You deserve to go die! You'll probably die a bloody gruesome death at the Cornucopia. And I'm glad!" I storm out of the room, leaving her in tears, stomp back to my room, and collapse on the bed.

But I can't sleep. I toss and turn in bed, trying to fall asleep. A little voice keeps telling me that I shouldn't have said what I said. My conscience. A conscience has no place in the arena. The sooner I learn to ignore it, the better. Might as well start now. When I eventually slip into the darkness of sleep, my dreams are full of people taunting me, teasing me, tripping me, torturing me.

I wake up in a cold sweat early the next morning, escaping my twisted nightmares. I dress and go to the dining room. For the first time, I'm earlier than everyone else. The servant tells me to get my own food from a long white table, and I do. As I eat, the others enter, fill their plates, and join me at the table. When Meadow comes in, she won't look at me. I must have really gotten her last night. Perfect. A smug feeling comes over me.

All of a sudden, the windows black out. I'm shocked for a second, then I remember that we are separated from the Capitol by a mountain range. I hate the dark. It always reminds me of nightmares. I can't help but wonder if people from district 12, the coal miners, mind the dark. Then we exit the tunnel, and I'm blinded by the brightness. Meadow and I head to the window together, temporarily forgetting about last night. We see the Capitol, the light reflecting off the rainbow colored buildings, the people with all their strange, horrible fashions, and the colorful tiled streets. I'm dazzled for a while, but I jerk myself back to reality. Don't start to enjoy this place or like the people, if you can call them people. These people, the very ones I'm looking at, are the ones that will be cheering for my death. All of a sudden, I'm so disgusted by this place that I back away from the window and sit back in my chair.

"I hate this place," I say, "I wish I could throw all of these people into the arena and let them know what it feels like."

Cheyenne gives me a warning glance. Oh yeah, I forgot. The train is probably bugged. I hope that I don't get in trouble; the Capitol is ridiculously strict about our words.

"Okay," says Austin, after a long awkward silence, "We're going to be pulling into the station soon. Meadow, just keep going forward and you'll be fine. Buck, don't look down; it makes you look weaker and more defenseless than you are. Got it?" We nod. "Good," he continues, "After you get out of the station, a car will take you to the Remake Center. You will really hate what they'll do to you, but trust them on this one; the people in there know what Capitolites find attractive. Just do what they tell you; you'll be fine."

"Of course I'll be fine, I'll only probably be dead in two weeks," I mentally reply. The train starts to slow, and it eventually comes to a complete stop. We leave the train into the quiet station, and I can hear the crowd outside. I lift my head, careful not to look down at the ground, and follow Justus to the doors.


	4. Chapter 4 : A Different Kind of Torture

_A/N Thank you TheOneTwoPunch for reviewing every chapter. Many thanks also to shadowhunter824 for reviewing and to all my readers (as few as they may be). The third chapter I published today! I've just been getting a lot for ideas lately, so I'll probably be posting at least one per day for the next few days. (Then again, my chapters are fairly short, only a little over 1000 words each.)_

**Chapter 4 - A Different Kind of Torture**

Justus opens the double doors, and I'm face to face with a huge cheering crowd. Just the thought makes me mad. They are cheering for my death. All of a sudden, I feel so sick that I want to vomit. Thankfully, I keep it down, and we head to the car. I look around, and Austin and Cheyenne are nowhere to be seen. I guess victors have business in the Capitol every year. I climb into the car with only a bit of trouble, and we're off. I remember what Austin had said, "You will really hate what they'll do to you." What are they going to do to me? It can't be that bad, can it?

I think about what my strategy should be. I haven't had much time to talk to Austin, but thinking about it now can't hurt. I can't win because of my smarts, because even though I get good grades in school, I'm not exceptional like Beetee Latier or some others who won that way. I can't win stealthily, and physical power is definitely out of the question. That leaves sponsor support. Yes, I'll have to gain sponsor support to win. But how? I could pull the pity card, but that can only get me so far. I don't have time to decide on an answer, because the car pulls up to the Remake Center.

Once inside, Meadow and I are taken to separate rooms. I look around. From the way the Capitol looks, you'd guess that the rooms inside of the Remake Center were just as colorful, but everything is a boring bluish-grey. The Capitol sure is unpredictable. The door opens, and in walk three excited people. If I used to think that Justus was eccentric, these people are beyond comparison. One is a woman with purple hair and eyes (can they change their eye color?) and neon yellow skin. The second is a man with wild green hair, blue earrings, and orange lips. The final member of the group is a woman with short pink hair and a large red nose ring. I wonder how she eats with that big obnoxious thing hanging from her nose.

"Hello!" cries the man in the high earsplitting Capitol accent, " I'm Acacius, this is Liboria (gesturing toward the purple-eyed woman), this is Oriana (tilting his head toward the one with the nose ring), and we're your prep team!"

"Isn't it wonderful?" shrieks Liboria. No, this is anything but wonderful, but I nod and smile. They go crazy. "It's wonderful to get such a wonderful tribute like you!" she adds. I realize that Capitol citizens are easily won over by friendliness. That will be my strategy. How hard could it be?

"We're going to make you look so good that everyone won't be able to help but love you!" Oriana chimes in. This is when I remember the second half of what Austin said. "trust them on this one; the people in there know what Capitolites find attractive." I sure hope that "attractive" doesn't involve multicolored hair or rings of any kind.

I'm told to take off my clothes, and I reluctantly do. I feel more vulnerable than I already am. I soon find out that Austin was understating when he said that I would hate it. In only ten minutes, I'm having trouble keeping from making sarcastic remarks. Maybe being friendly isn't that easy. After soaking me in at least ten different concoctions and scrubbing me so hard that I'm sore all over, they finally decide that I'm ready to meet my stylist. At this point, it takes every bit of willpower to refrain from snapping at them. They comment on how I'm such a nice tribute and leave the room. They don't even see me as a person, just a thing that exists for their entertainment. I now officially hate my prep team. I grab my thin robe, which is hanging on a hook, and put it on. My skin is red and tender. I realize that those are the same words we use to describe meat at home. The similarities are frightening. The door opens again, and my stylist enters.

My stylist is a middle-aged woman with blood red hair and skin dyed a shallow, bright orange. Oh dear. She looks like she won't be much better than the prep team.

"Hello, Buck," she says, "My name is Severina; I'm your stylist." I'm startled for a second. Her voice is cold. She's probably one of those mean self-centered stylists that only care about themselves. She tells me to take off my robe, leaving me naked, and she looks at me. "You haven't been fed well," she says disapprovingly. This sets me off.

"What did you expect?" I reply, my voice just as icy as hers, all notions of friendliness forgotten, "You actually thought that we from the outer districts had it as well as you spoiled Capitolites?"

She seems taken aback for a second, but she quickly composes herself and makes a quick comeback. "It doesn't matter what I think, or even what you think," she says, her voice drippin with disdain, "You're supposed to look good for the opening ceremony. Follow me." I put on the robe again and follow her into a room. She pushes a button on a table, and the top opens, allowing a second smaller table laden with food to rise up. Even though I was hungry half an hour ago, my appetite is completely gone. Still, I eat some, just out of curiosity. She starts talking about my chariot costume, and I try to listen to her flat cold voice. After I realize that she's talking about people in history called "cowboys," I tune out. What should my strategy be? After this morning, I've firmly decided against friendliness. I'm pulled out of my thoughts by Severina's voice.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" I nod, and she seems satisfied. "Come," she commands, and she leads me into another room. She shows me my costume for the opening ceremony, and I breathe a sigh of relief. It's a gold and white outfit, with leather boots and a golden wide-brimmed hat. After I put those on, she loops a coiled rope around my left shoulder. By District 10 standards, this isn't that bad. In the evening light, the golden parts with shimmer and shine. I mumble a thank you, and I think she almost smiles.

"Let's get you to your chariot," she says, and we (slowly) go down a few flights of stairs into the area where the chariots and horses are kept. All twelve of them are in a circle, with the District One chariot closest to the exit. We walk to the District Ten chariot, and I see that Meadow is already there, standing on one end. Not like that's a surprise. With help, I climb up onto the other side of the chariot, trying to keep a distance from Meadow, and the stylists position us. The doors creak open, and I can hear the blaring music outside. Severina offers one last piece of advice.

"Hold onto the side of the chariot. That way, you won't lose your balance." I do as she says, and she smiles. I realize that I've misjudged her, after being agitated by the prep team. She probably just had a bad day, or got into an argument with the prep team before she came into the room in the Reamake Center. After all, I wouldn't have a hard time arguing with those three. I make a note to apologize to her. She's not a bad person, really. The chariot jolts forward, and I turn and smile at my stylist before I am being pulled into the streets of the Capitol.


	5. Chapter 5 : Some Introductions

_A/N This chapter's longer than usual. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 5: Introductions**

The streets of the Capitol are full of cheering people. The applause is louder for the ones they like, and quieter for the costumes they dislike. Usually, District Ten is dressed in some ugly animal suit, but it seems like we have a few fans this year, if only because of pity. Doesn't matter. These people, if you can call them people, even if they want me to live, are condoning the brutal slaughter of twenty-three kids, and all for their entertainment. They don't deserve anything from us, and I'm not going to give them the waving and smiles they want.

Here I go again, getting excited. I should probably just keep looking ahead and try to ignore the crowd before I do anything rash. Eleven has came out of the building now, and the cheers are dwindling. All of a sudden, the crowd behind me erupts into loud cheering and screaming. Behind District Eleven comes...No it can't be. District Twelve, the laughingstock of the entire nation? I look up on the large television screens on the side of the road.

I am shocked.

The two tributes are on fire. Literally. The capes and headdresses on the black costumes are in flames. We are paraded around the City Circle, so that everyone can see us, but I know, as well as everyone else, that District Twelve, the poorest, weakest, most ridiculous district, has just wiped us off the minds of potential sponsors.

On the other hand, this isn't so bad. The careers will be targeting them, not me.

I don't hear a single word of President Snow's "welcome" speech. All I can think about is that so far, discounting the reaping, the odds are in my favor. My costume isn't ridiculous, the crowd doesn't hate me (though I hate them, but they don't need to know that), and the Careers will be busy killing (or trying to kill) Districts Twelve and Eleven. I hope this luck lasts.

Snow ends his speech, and the horses pull the chariots into the training center, which will be my prison for the next few days. I am immediately surrounded by my prep team, gushing about how great I was. They help me off the chariot and bring me to an elevator. Meadow and her team are nowhere to be seen; Austin must have spoken to the stylists, telling them about our incident on the car. I wonder if I kept him awake with my shouting. I ignore my prep team's compliments as we all shoot up to the tenth floor. The elevator is amazing. I had thought that I would have to go up ten grueling flights of stairs, but all I have to do is get in, push a button, and get out when it reaches my floor.

The moment I step out, I'm greeted by Austin and Justus. Justus is beside himself with excitement, but Austin just smiles at me. He's also realized that the Careers will target the other tributes first. Of course, that won't help if they run into me, but at least they're not specifically after me.

Tonight, dinner is full of small talk, because Meadow and I are being mentored separately. I'm glad, because my conscience is still bothering me. If I don't have to be in the same room as she is, I won't feel as bad. Severina and Meadow's stylist, a man with colored swirls all over his skin, eat dinner with us.

After dinner, Austin meets with me.

"You realize that everything is going perfectly, right?" he asks. I nod. "Tomorrow is the first day of training." he continues, "Focus on the survival skills, because you know as well as I do that you have to get away from everyone else as soon as possible. Also do some knife throwing and a bit of wrestling, since you will have a confrontation sooner or later, and I can tell that your upper body is strong. Got it? We can't count on tomorrow morning to talk if you want to avoid Meadow."

"Is it that obvious?" I ask. I knew that he knew, but his tone implied that it was common knowledge.

"It is," he answers, "Before twelve stole the show, the commentators were talking about how it looked like you hated being in the same chariot as Meadow." He chuckles. "You're not the only person who can read emotions, even though you are better as it than most people." I groan. "Well, that's enough for tonight. Want to see the roof?"

The roof? We're allowed on the roof? Seeing my confusion, he adds, "We're allowed up there. The forcefield around it keep people from jumping off."

I guess it won't hurt anything, so I following him to the elevator and up to the thirteenth floor.

The elevator opens into a dome-shaped room, with a door in the transparent walls. He opens the door, and the view takes my breath away. The Capitol actually looks beautiful, with the lights twinkling in the darkness of night. I feel the wind blowing, and it calms me. Austin silently leads me around the roof, which is strangely empty. After the tour, I walk to the railing at the edge. I look at the horizon. Somewhere, beyond what I can see, is District Ten. And somewhere in District Ten is a three/four-roomed house, where my family is. What are they doing now? Are they thinking about me?

Austin interrupts my thoughts. "I'll be on our floor if you need me. Get a good night's rest," he tells me. I nod, and he leaves. I stare into the distance. For the first time so far, I really feel homesick. I would give almost anything to be back with my family. It finally clicks in my head. I will never see them again; my mother, quiet, kind, and graceful; my father, strong, warm, and understanding; Clay, funny, friendly, and loyal; even my brother, even though we were constantly bickering. I will never see my brother's future son/daughter, or marry and have kids of my own. I go back to the elevator. As the doors close, I see the door to the stairwell open. I guess I'm not the only depressed person here.

Back on the tenth floor, I see that everyone has gone to his/her own room, so I go to mine. I hold the disk Clay gave me, remembering the good times. There's no use staying up, so I go to bed, dreaming of home.

I awake to Justus' voice, telling me to hurry. I go to take a shower. The showers here are so different from the ones on the train. There are rows and rows of buttons , each with a label. I'm not in the mood to experiment, so I find the one that's labeled "warm water" and take a shower. After I finish, I look for a towel. No towel! They have a couple hundred shower settings but no towel? I step onto a ceramic tiled plate, and warm air dries me. Should've known. A towel is too primitive for these people. I dress and go to the dining room. I'm the last one. Again. I eat breakfast while Justus explains.

"I'll be taking you to the gymnasium. You'll be there for the rest of the day. Lunch is in a room down there, so we'll see you two tonight."

I nod to let him know I understand. Then, Meadow and I are escorted into the elevator, and it starts dropping. My nerves are going crazy because I'm about to meet twenty-two other people who will be trying to kill me. I look at Meadow, and I can see that she's nervous too. The doors open, and Justus leads us to a door. He beckons for us to go in, and we do.

We're early. Only a few of the tributes are here. I recognize the pairs from Three, Four, Seven, Eight, and Eleven. The huge boy from Eleven leans down as his tiny partner whispers something in his ear, and he smiles. I guess the girl will last quite a while, considering the fact that her partner looks like he's trying to protect her. A door opens, and the two from Five walk in. That girl makes me nervous, since she looks sly and cunning. Then the Careers from Two arrive. Everyone, including me, backs off, except the two from Eleven, who stand their ground. The girl from Two says something to her partner, but I can't make out what she's saying except for the boy's name. Cato. I don't know why I didn't pay any attention to my competitors' names. Cato look around at us and smirks, until he notices the two from Eleven. He stares into the other boy's eyes. After what seems like forever, Cato backs off. I make another note to avoid the male from Eleven in the arena. Two by two, the other tributes arrive. When the last ones, the fiery pair from Twelve, enter, a physically fit woman introduces herself as Atala and gives us instructions. Don't fight, don't forget the survival skills, and something about lunch. I don't really listen to her, and once she finishes speaking, I go to the edible plants station.

When I get there, I see that Eleven is already there. I contemplate going to another station, but the little girl looks up and looks at me. She nods, and I interpret it as "you can come, we don't mind." I move forward, and the trainer sees me. She walks over, and starts to teach me about the different plants. She shows me how to use the machine that's supposed to quiz me, and she moves to the boy from Eight, who has just arrived. I watch Eleven, and I see that both of them are experts at plants. Not too surprising, considering that their district's industry is agriculture. I take the test, and I fail miserably. The little girl notices, and she comes to me.

"Need help?" she innocently asks. Why is she trying to help me? We're in the hunger games. We'll be trying to kill each other! Why on earth does she want to help me? I see that her partner feels the same way because he frowns. "Need help?" she asks again.

"Only if your partner doesn't mind," I answer. I definitely don't want to get on his bad side.

"He's fine," she tells me, "right, Thresh?" So his name is Thresh. He only grunts in approval. "Oh, I'm Rue," she says.

"My name's Buck," I reply reluctantly, because I'd rather not get close to any other tributes.

It turns out that Rue is an excellent teacher. By lunch, I can identify most of the toxic plants and a few edible ones. I sit alone at lunch. This way, I can observe the others. The ones that stand out the most are Peeta and Katniss, District Twelve. I know their names now because they talk to each other the entire time. Don't they know that being friendly will only hurt in the arena? I also pick up the names of the other Careers. The ones from one are Glimmer and Marvel. Glimmer is proud of her beauty, which she wil probably use to her advantage, but Marvel doesn't seem very smart. The girl from two is Clove, and she is the fastest and most agile of the Careers. The girl and boy from four are Marina and Arlen. Of all the Careers, I can safely say that they are the most human. The sly girl from five is Amber, and the close friends from seven are Jack and Maple.

After lunch, I work on building shelter. I'm not bad at it, and I can make a passable one by the end of the day, which is when Justus picks up up and brings us back to our floor.

At dinner, the mentors ask us about our day.

"I worked on edible plants and building shelter today," I announce. "I also scouted out the competition, so I know about each of the tributes. For example, Sue from eight hates the cold." Austin looks impressed.

"I also did edible plants, but I chose to do climbing and knot-tying instead of building shelter," Meadow says, "I formed an alliance with the two from seven." An alliance? That's interesting. The Meadow I used to know was very unfriendly, and she isn't exceptionally strong. Why would anyone want her as an ally? I can't find an answer, but the voice inside me tells me that I've been too hard on her, that just like Severina, she has good times and bad times.

After dinner, Austin continues with me about our strategy.

"You did well today," he says, "Keep this up and you'll make it through the training just fine. Anything you want to ask me?" I shake my head. "Then," he says, rising from his chair, "I'll see you tomorrow." He leaves, and I'm alone with my thoughts. What should I do about Meadow? Should I try to forget the past? She doesn't deserve it. Then why do I feel so guilty? I think and think, but I don't come up with any answers, so I go to bed.

_A/N You all know how the story ends now (kind of). I'm sorry if you are disappointed with this revelation, but it was the 74th games, for you who didn't notice. And if you're wondering, I'm following the details from the book, not the movie (Mostly)._


	6. Chapter 6: Not Playing by Their Rules

_A/N Here his the next chapter, which is longer than the previous one. I'm sorry that I didn't post anything yesterday; Thursday is the busiest day of the week for me. I kinda felt that the previous one was a bit pointless; did anyone else feel that way? Again, I gladly welcome any reviews, and I'd like to know your thoughts and predictions._

**Chapter 6: Not Playing by Their Rules**

I'm awakened by Justus' familiar voice, telling me to get up.

"Hurry, hurry," he says, and I groggily get out of bed. By the time I reach the dining room, everyone's almost done eating. I grab some food from a table and start to eat as fast as I can. Justus is obviously disgusted my manners, but I don't care. I just don't want to be late.

I finish breakfast, we're hurried to the elevator, and we go back to the large gymnasium for our second day of training. I look at my options. I could go to the knife throwing station, but the Careers are there. I consider archery, but I don't think that that will be a good idea, considering that there might not be bows in the arena. Even if the Gamemakers decide to place bows there, they will be at the Cornucopia, which I should stay away from. I remember Austin said to try wrestling. Yes, that's what I'll do.

When the trainers at the wrestling station see me hobbling toward them, they groan. They probably think I'm weak. I give them a smile, and we get started. To my surprise, I'm pretty good at it. The trainers are surprised, but then they become more eager to teach me. My foot slows me down a little, but I think I could take down an average person. Well, that went by quickly. What am I supposed to do now? The Careers have left the knife throwing, so I decide to go there. Again, when that trainer sees me approaching, he sighs. Well, I definitely have something to show him.

He shows me how to do it correctly, and I throw the knife. It barely misses the target. This is a lot harder than I thought. I spend the rest of my morning working on the knife throwing. By lunch, I can hit the target, even through the wounds wouldn't be fatal.

I also spend the afternoon working with knives, and I can land pretty good shots with them. However, tributes in the arena won't stand there and let me kill them, so I hope I'm good enough.

That night, after Austin talks to me about training, he takes me up to the wind chime garden on the roof. It's the most secure place in the building, so I know he wants to talk about something serious. But I'm still not prepared for the question he asks.

"What happened between you and Meadow?"

Taken aback, I quickly reply, "It's none of your business."

"I know that she did something horrible to you a long time ago, anyone who's watched your actions toward her can tell, but she's been doing all she can to try and make it up. And your anger isn't helping you either. Just think about it. What do you feel and think when you remember her? If I'm right, you feel mad and bitter, and revenge is all you can think about. Now how often do you think about her? If I'm right again, the answer is constantly. So am I right?

He is right. His ability to understand is scary. Seeing that I don't reply, he assumes he's correct, which he is. He continues,

"I know it's hard to let go of the past, but this bitterness is only going to keep you from doing your best. And I don't want to see you die because you won't let go of a grudge."

"Why?" I ask. "You and I both know that I won't last long."

"Because you have a determination I rarely see."

He thinks I have a chance? No I don't. "But she doesn't deserve my forgiveness," I argue, "why should I give her that satisfaction? Why shouldn't I let her feel guilty the rest of her short life?"

His final answer shocks me. "Because then you'd be playing their games."

His answer insults me more than anything else I've heard. "What do you mean!?" I say, "I probably hate the Capitol more than anyone else in this building! How am I following their plan?" I don't wait for an answer, and I storm the entire way back to the tenth floor.

That night, my dreams are worse than ever. Having Meadow torment me in my dreams is bad enough, but tonight, Austin, Cheyenne, Clay, my parents, and anyone I could call close, come to me one by one and condemn me. I wake up, pulling myself out of my nightmares. I go up to the roof, hoping to find some peace there. I look over the railing, thinking about Austin's words. I hear footsteps behind me, and I whirl around to see who it is. I come face to face with Jack, remembering his alliance with Meadow.

"Hello," I say curtly.

"Hello," he says, "you come up here too?"

"Yes," I say, "do you have a problem with that?"

"No," he says leaning on the railing beside me, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes," I cautiously reply, "but I won't guarantee an answer."

"Why do you hate Meadow so much?" he asks.

"I'm not going to answer that." I say.

"It's okay," he says, "I already know. I just wanted to see if you would admit it."

We stand in silence, looking at the city.

"Just to let you know," he says, "she feels really bad about the past, and all she wants is to make everything right before she dies; that's what she told me and Maple." He walks away and I'm left alone. I decide to sleep on it, hoping to find shelter in sleep, but the nightmares infest my rest.

I wake up early the next morning and eat breakfast alone. I have to decide what to do. I don't make up my mind before Austin walks in. After he gets his food, he starts talking.

"As you know, your private session with the Gamemakers is today. I trust that you can decide on something good to show them. Also, there will be some special weapons in there. Sometimes, if you're good at an uncommon skill, they'll put one in the arena to make it more interesting. If you're as good with a whip as you say you are, then this is your opportunity. Okay?"

I nod.

I spend the morning on miscellaneous survival skills, from fire building to snares to knot tying. At lunch, I observe the others as they wait to be called by the Gamemakers.

I look at Meadow, who is sitting with Jack and Maple. Jack appears to be telling a joke, because Meadow is...giggling? Meadow is giggling? No, this can't be. Meadow never giggles, she even said so herself a few years ago. Of course she wasn't talking to me, but I overheard her while she was talking to a friend. I don't see why she would giggle, unless...

A thought enters my head, but I quickly dismiss it and try to think about my private session with the Gamemakers. What should I do? I remember what Austin said this morning, "If you're as good with a whip as you say you are, then this is your opportunity." I guess I'll start with the whip. Then what? I need to show I'm capable of fighting. That means I'll either wrestle or throw knives. I remember that Clove from two is an expert at knife throwing, so anyone else who tries that will be overshadowed. That means I'll have to go with wrestling. Then, I'll fill in the extra time with survival skills.

"Calling Millet Fieldcrest"

The voice interrupts my thoughts. Millet is the girl from nine, so I'm next. I start shaking. After a painful, torturous fifteen minutes. I hear my name being called.

"Calling Buck Hardwick"

I walk into the room that we usually train in. The Gamemakers are seated on a balcony, eating and drinking while watching us. One or two are drunk, but the rest are wondering what a cripple can do. I look around the room. All the stations are there, but on a rack in the corner lie a multitude of specialty weapons. I see pickaxes, strange curved v-shaped pieces of wood, and many other unrecognizable weapons.

Then I see the whip.

"You may begin, Mr. Hardwick," Seneca Crane, the Head Gamemaker says. I move to the rack and take out the whip. I go to the knife-throwing station, where the dummies are not firmly attached to the floor. Then everything becomes a blur. The whip lashes out at my command, and the speed and force cause it to coil around the dummy's waist. Then I give a jerk to the whip, and the dummy goes flying. I do this a few times, then I go to the wrestling station, and the trainer there seems happy. He wrestles with me, and I do well until I slip, which causes him to gain the upper hard and win the match. Disappointed with how wrestling worked out, I go to the edible plants test. I take it as fast as possible, because I only have a few minutes left. I am pleased to see that I got eighty percent correct. Fifteen minutes must be up, because Crane says,

"You are dismissed."

A servant shows me the way to the elevator, and I push the button labeled "ten." On the ride up, I realize how nervous I was. What score will I get? I'll ask Austin when I see him; he'll be able to make a better guess than I can.

The moment I step out of the elevator, Austin, Cheyenne, Justus, and Severina all come to meet me.

"How did it go?" asks Justus.

"Why don't we wait for Meadow?" says Austin, "That way, it'll be more fair to her." I don't want to be fair to her, but I really don't want an argument right now, so I consent.

Fifteen minutes later, Meadow comes up.

"How did it go?" Justus asks again.

"I don't think I did very well," she says. Good, one less person to worry about. She continues. "I first tried knife throwing, but I didn't hit any vital organs. Then I tried the edible plants test, and I got ninety percent correct. But the worst part was that only a handful of them were paying attention."

"You?" Austin asks me.

"Well, I think I did OK," I say, "I started with a whip and threw dummies around with it. Then I tried wrestling, but I slipped and lost. I did the edible plants test to fill up the remaining minutes. I only got eighty percent correct. What scores do you think we'll get?"

"Hmm, I think Cheyenne has more experience at this," he says, drawing our attention to Cheyenne. I don't think I've seen her in action as a mentor yet.

"Well," she says, "Buck, my prediction is that you'll get a moderate score, from 6-7, because even though you did well with a whip, it won't directly kill someone, so it isn't considered a weapon in the Gamemakers' eyes. You could get an eight, but it's not likely because you slipped while wrestling. The edible plants test didn't hurt; an eighty means you're not likely to get poisoned by something you ate. Besides, the fact that you have one bad leg only makes it more impressive. It also caused them to pay extra attention to you." I guess I did better than I thought.

"Meadow," she says, "I'm sorry, but things don't look good for you. First of all, being perfect in survival skills usually only snags a six. The knives, even though it showed that you can hit a target, it also showed that you probably can't kill a target. This would, in normal years, grab a six. However, this year, Clove from two can hit anything with a knife, while Amber from five, Rue from eleven, and Katniss from twelve all got perfect scores on the test, while in record times. I can't imagine why any of them wouldn't show that to the Gamemakers. And the fact that Buck's performance was more impressive than yours only dampened your performance."

I look at Meadow, expecting her to be mad, but she just gives a sad smile. This is unexpected.

"I guess that we just have to wait for the scores tonight," Austin says, and that's what we do. I must look bored, because Austin comes over and offers to teach me how to play chess. I take him up on his offer, and he teaches me while we talk about the scores.

"You know that you'll be in big trouble, no, the pawn only moves forward and takes diagonally, if you get a seven right?" he says. I know, because it will draw attention to me, telling the Careers that there's something about me that they don't know. I'll never get anywhere with them on my trail. I nod, and focus on the game.

After a few hours, six defeats, and a new game learned, Austin says that the scores will be playing soon. He turns the television on as the others file in. Ugh, more game footage. I start to daydream when I realize that the games being shown are the 42nd games, in which a one armed boy from district eight won. His strategy? To stay away from the others and take the last one out. I'll keep that in mind. Then the scores are announced.

The Careers all get 8-10s, as they almost always do. Amber scores a 5, and Jack and Maple both get 7s. Meadow breaks into a smile when she sees this. Eight and nine pass by, and then my score comes up. A seven. No, no, no. I'll definitely be a target now. Justus starts to congratulate me, but seeing my unhappy face, decides to stay quiet. Meadow gets a five. I think about leaving, because there usually isn't anything interesting about eleven and twelve, but after remembering Rue's help, I decide to stay. Thresh scores a 10, no surprise there, but innocent little Rue, supposedly the weakest, is awarded with a 7! I don't have any time to recover from shock when I see the scores from district twelve. Peeta gets an 8! An 8! A Career score! At least some of the Careers will focus on Peeta and Thresh. The I see Katniss'. An 11. The highest score of the year. Higher than the Careers. Diverting all of the attention away from me. We all celebrate. So far, the odds have definitely been in my favor.

"I know you all want to celebrate all night," Austin says, " but we all need to get some rest, because the interviews are tomorrow. "

We follow his advice, but the moment I am alone, I start thinking of Austin's words about Meadow. He said that I was playing the Capitol's games. I didn't realize until now how much the training helped take my mind off of things. How am I playing the Capitol's games? The room feels like it's getting stuffier and stuffier. I need to go somewhere else. I go to the roof, remembering last night. I look at the Capitol, so bright and shining, so cruel and brutal. Once again, the wind calms me, and I focus on my thoughts.

Then it hits me. The reason for the games is to keep the citizens of the districts from uniting, to pitt us against each other, because there is immense power when the districts and all the people unite against the Capitol. Then I think about Meadow. My conscience tells me that she's changed. I immediately tell myself not to think that way. But I'm reminded of how she tried to apologize to me on the train, how she didn't try to hurt me after I hurt her with my words, and how she tries to focus on the future instead of the past. The old Meadow would never do any of these things. Then I realize it. I've been trying to dislike her, and President Snow couldn't be more pleased. She isn't a bad person. I've known it all along, but I refused to accept it. I make up my mind to apologize to her tomorrow, and I go back to my room.

With my conscience at rest, I peacefully fall asleep.


	7. Chapter 7: Preparing to Go

_A/N My chapters are getting longer and longer! Thank you TheOneTwoPunch for reviewing ever single chapter! This is the last one before the games, and it was fun to write. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 7: Preparing to Go**

I wake up the next morning, determined to make things right. How? I'm stuck for a second. How am I going to apologize to her without letting everyone else know? I'd rather keep the details between us. I think about it for a while. The only time we are left alone is after the interviews. That's when I'll get my chance. I go to eat breakfast.

"Someone's happy today," Austin says, noticing my cheery attitude, and I smile back at him. He looks surprised, but he continues to talk. "Today, as you know, you have your interviews at 8:00 tonight. I'll be helping you with it. Usually, you'd have to go through a posture session with Justus, but I don't think the people expect you to act or sit like a normal person, so you're in luck." I nod. Cheyenne and Meadow come in and start to eat.

"Where are the others?" Meadow asks.

"Your stylists are probably busy with your interview outfits, but I have no idea where Justus went," answers Cheyenne.

As if to answer the question, Justus comes in at that moment.

"You won't believe what I have!" exclaims Justus. We all look at him in expectation, and he puts a newspaper on the table. We all gasp. This certain newspaper talks about the scores of the tributes and predicts who will win. Tributes are not allowed to know about the predictions of Capitol citizens, because sponsor information is only between the sponsor and the mentors.

Austin looks at it, reads a few lines, and passes it to me.

"What We Can Expect From This Year's Tributes

The Careers are in for a tough battle this year, as the outer districts have sent in some very promising tributes. Each of the tributes is analyzed below."

This is good. I start to read Marvel's entry, but we have limited time, so I skip to the section labeled "Buck Hardwick,"

"There have been many tributes with disabilities in the past, but only one has ever been declared a victor. Buck might become the second to do so. We all can remember his reaping and how he tripped on the way to the stage. Many of us ignored him and focused on the more promising tributes. However, his training score, a seven, is telling us not to underestimate him. He will probably do well in the games, since he seems to have a few tricks up his sleeves. What exactly are they? We'll find out when the games begin!"

"Well this is interesting," I think, while I pass the newspaper to Cheyenne. Everyone now thinks I'm a candidate for Victor, and one with good odds.

After breakfast, Austin brings me into a side room and starts with me on my interview angle.

"So far, you've done really well. Now, you know to show the audience that you can win without becoming an instant target." I nod to let him know I'm following. "The most important part though, is letting the audience know more about you. What are you like? What is your personality? How about your family? These are the things the audience is interested in."

"So you're saying that I have to give these people my personal information?" I ask.

"Yes, you will," he answers. This is going to be pure torture. I have to let the people condemning me to death think I like them. "I know you don't want the do this, but if you screw this up, you'll have no chance of making it through the games."

"Fine." I say, "What do you think I should do."

"Well," he says, pausing to think, "Why don't you try to come across as a person trying to overcome the obstacles life throws at him? The Capitol loves underdog stories."

"Okay," I say, "I'll give it a shot."

"Just imagine that I'm Caesar Flickerman, and I'll ask questions he's likely to ask. Ready?" I nod, and the role-playing begins.

"Hello, Buck," he says in a semi-Capitol accent, "I bet the Capitol is extremely different from district ten. How are you liking it here?"

"I like it a lot," I say, "but I would like it more if I didn't have to go die tomorrow."

"No, you can't say that," Austin says, dropping the accent, "First, it shows that you don't think you can win. Second, it lets everyone know how much you dislike them. That will guarantee death for you. Let's try it again.

"How are you liking it here, Buck?" he says, returning to the accent.

"It's pretty nice here. I just wish I could've enjoyed all these luxuries back in ten."

"Better, but that won't work either. Snow doesn't want the Capitolites to know how poor some of the districts are. Try it again," he says, "How are you liking it here?"

"Everything here is great," I say.

"That was good, now let's move on," Austin says.

Back being Caesar Flickerman, Austin asks, "Now, I'm pretty sure that we all noticed one thing about you; your crippled foot. How did it come to be like that? And how do you think it will affect you in the arena?"

"Well, I was born with it, so I'm used to it," I say, hoping that I'm doing okay, "but it'll pose a small problem."

"No, no, no," Austin says, "remember? You want to them to think that you are doing all you can to compensate and that you're overcoming obstacles. Try that again."

"Well, I was born with it, so I've had plenty of time to get used to it," I say, "I've been able to sharpen my other skills."

"The words were perfect," Austin comments, "but the way you said it made it sound like you thought you were better than your audience. Try it again."

And this is the way the morning goes. He asks a question, I answer in a unsatisfactory way, he corrects me, and I try again. And these are the "easy" and "shallow" questions. By the time we're going through the deep questions, it's already time for lunch, but we keep going. At two in the afternoon, Austin gives up.

"Your voice has so much hate and disdain in it that the Capitolites will hate you."

"It's not my fault that they decided to throw me into an arena to die." I retort.

"Doesn't matter," he says, "because THEY might be the ones that keep you alive. At least you don't have to worry about posture. Go take a break and eat. We'll keep going at three, okay?"

I nod and go eat. The lunch is splendid, as usual, but I barely taste it. I'm too worried about the interviews.

After the break, we continue working on my responses.

"I think the goal is to keep the disdain out of your voice, or at least try to hide it," Austin says.

We work the rest of the afternoon and even right after dinner, and eventually end up with speaking quietly, so that the hate is very, very, faint. An observant person will detect it, but Capitolites will be too stupid (or as Austin calls it, "unobservant") to notice it. And just in time, because Justus comes barging into the room.

"It's already 7:00! Severina has been looking everywhere for you, Buck. Hurry, we mustn't be late." he says.

I follow him, and before long, Severina is showing me my interview suit.

"I decided on a greyish suit because grey symbolizes seriousness and deep thought." she says, "The deep purple tie symbolizes mystery, here in the Capitol. The audience loves symbolism." That's interesting.

Getting an idea, I ask, "The audience loves symbolism? Any ideas on ones I can use during the interviews?"

"Hmm," she says, "I can't think of any now, sorry."

"It's alright." I reply.

"Good luck," she says.

"Thanks," I tell her, "I'll need it."

After the prep team finishes fussing with makeup and my hair, we all go to the interviews. Meadow and I are taken backstage. Then were all paraded onto the back of the stage to wait for our turn. Seeing Meadow reminds me of my decision, and I remind myself not to forget. After Caesar warms up the crowd, Glimmer is called up. One by one, the interviews go by. Maple is calm and confident, and Jack is funny and friendly. All too soon, Meadow is called up. Her angle is pretty obvious; humble and hopeful. After the buzzer announces that her time is up, it's my turn.

I walk toward Caesar and sit in the seat across from him. I make myself comfortable, and look into Caesar's eyes, because it's an old piece of wisdom that the eyes are the windows of the heart. His eyes look happy at first glance, but upon closer inspection, I see a tinge of sadness and I begin to relax. He's not a crazy television host that loves to people die, but a person who actually has a heart. But I know that I won't be able to keep all contempt out of my voice, so I decide to play it safe and answer his questions quietly.

"So, how are you enjoying it here in the Capitol?" he asks.

"It's really nice here, and everything is wonderful," I say, just as I rehearsed.

"Really? What struck you the most about this place?"

"I would have to say that my favorite thing about this place is how it looks at night," I answer truthfully, "it's amazing."

"I know what you mean," Caesar says, "I sometimes just go out at night to see the lights. But we're not here to talk about the lights. How do you think you will do in the arena, considering that you only have one reliable leg? Your training score was impressive."

"As you can tell from my seven, I'm not completely defenseless. The disability has allowed me to sharpen my other skills."

"And right you are. By the way, what should we think about the rumor that you take after your mentor? Are you good with a whip?"

I must look shocked (I am), because Caesar changes the topic.

"You honestly didn't know? Well, I guess we'll find out how you got your seven when you enter the arena."

The audience sighs. Apparently, they don't like to wait.

Caesar continues with his questions. "Can you tell me about your family?"

"Well, my parents both work with the animals. I have one older brother, but we used to argue a lot. Then there's Clay. To me, he's the warm, kind older brother I never had."

"Just in case their watching, do you have anything you'd like to tell them?"

I think about it for a while, then answer. "Mom, Dad, Clay, don't give up hope. I promise that I'll be doing all I can to come back to you."

The audience sighs a sad sigh.

I think we're done, but Caesar has one last question for me. "I think all of us just have one more question for you. Do you hate Meadow? Because I think we all saw how you looked uncomfortable next to her during the parade."

If I was asked this two days ago, I would have said yes, but now, I don't know what to say.

"Umm," I start.

Then the buzzer sounds and Caesar looks disappointed. "I guess your time is up. I wish we could hear the rest of your story, but rules are rules. Ladies and Gentlemen, Buck Hardwick from District Ten!"

When I reach my spot, I notice Meadow looking at me quizzically. I don't respond. Instead, I focus on the interviews of the remaining tributes. Little Rue's stresses how hard it is to catch her, and Thresh barely says anything, but his size makes him look quiet, strong, and menacing. Katniss twirls in her dress, and it looks like she's on fire. That in itself would be enough to make the rest of us forgettable, but then Peeta comes and steals the show, declaring his love for Katniss. Normally, this would be an act, but I remember the longing in his eyes at the reapings. He probably really loves her.

After the interview, Austin discusses the games with me.

"I think you know all this, but I'll go over it, just in case. First, stay away from the Cornucopia at all costs. Your leg will make you an easy target because you aren't fast enough. Second, find a food and water source. I don't want to spend precious sponsor money on basics like food and water. Third, stay away from everyone else. You can't risk a confrontation. Got it?"

I nod.

"Just to let you know, you do have some sponsors. They all think you're hiding your strengths. Since a whip is not technically a weapon, it won't be too expensive. If you can conserve, I'll probably be able to get you one."I breath a sigh of relief. "Any questions?"

This is when I remember my resolution to apologize to Meadow. I had forgotten it! How could I have been so stupid! "Actually," I venture, "I finally understand what you said on the roof last night. Can I talk to Meadow?"

"I think she's on the roof," he answers.

"Thanks," I say while exiting the room. This is my last chance to make things right. But what if my time of grace is over, and she dislikes me because I've ignored or shot down all her efforts? No, I have to do this. I reach the elevator, and beside it is a stairwell. Which do I take? The elevator is easier, but it's noisier, and anyone on the eleventh and twelfth floors will definitely hear me. The stairwell is harder, but it's quieter. And it takes more time. More time for me to change my mind. I think I'll risk the elevator.

The ride up is short, and for the last time I step out into the cool breeze and see the bright lights of the Capitol at night. I look around. Where's Meadow? I stroll along the railing and look around. As I'm passing by the garden, I see her silhouette sitting on a bench. I hobble to her, and she looks up. Seeing that it's me, she becomes tense and immediately backs away. I smile a tired smile at her, and she appears to relax a little.

"Can we, uh, like, talk, just for a little?" I say, unsure how to start.

She looks at me for a while, then says, "I guess."

I take a deep breath, then I begin. "Meadow, I'm very, very sorry that I've ignored your attempts to apologize. I kept thinking that you didn't deserve it, but I don't deserve your kindness. I was bitter and mean, as if hate and grudges could make everything better. I know that I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry, and that I'm willing to forget the past if you still are."

She seems shocked for a moment, then she answers. "Really?"

"Yes, really," I say.

"Thank you," she says.

"No, thank you."

We sit in silence for a while, but it isn't awkward. We're both just relieved. I feel like a huge burden has been lifted off of my shoulders. I am the first to speak.

"In the arena, what are you going to do?"

"Jack, Maple and I agreed to eventually meet up wherever the Cornucopia's mouth points." She hesitates, then says, "You can join us if you want. Jack himself said that he wouldn't mind having you join us. What are your plans?"

"I'm just going to get out of there ASAP. I'm then supposed to look for food and water. I might try to find you, if your meeting spot isn't too far away."

I suddenly recall the pain in her eyes on the train. Should I ask about it? I guess I'll give it a shot.

"Um, Meadow," I start, hoping that I'm not treading on restricted ground, "on the very first day, on the train, um, your eyes told me that you felt hurt. Are you okay with telling me?"

She looks conflicted, but she decides to tell me. "Those years, long ago." She doesn't need to clarify; she's talking about the years she tormented me. "Those years came right after my mother died. I was really close to her, because my father worked on the delivery trains. He wasn't home most of the time, so my mother felt like my only real family. When she died, my father quit his job and took up a local one, because he had to take care of me. I know that he loved me deep inside, but he was overcome by grief and took it out on me. I took my pent-up anger out on you. So, when I saw you at the reaping, I remembered all the pain, grief, and anger I used to feel."

I'm struck dumb for a while. She was going through hard times. This makes my coldness toward her even more unforgivable.

"I'm sorry," I say, "I didn't know."

"You had no way of knowing," she says.

"But that's no excuse."

"I know that, but remember? We both agreed to let go of the past."

She's right. I have to stop feeling this shame.

"I think we should get some sleep," she says, right before yawning.

I get up, and we both start to go back. But before we reach the little domed room, we hear voices.

"Let's go," whispers Meadow.

"No, we might get some valuable information by listening," I whisper back. We listen.

"I don't know how to say it exactly, I just want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?

I don't want them to change me in there, turn me into some kind of monster I'm not." I recognize the voice. It's Peeta's, the baker's son from Twelve.

"Do you mean you won't kill anybody?" That must be Katniss.

"No, when the time comes, I'm sure I'll kill just like everyone else. I can't go down without a fight. I just keep wishing that I could think of a way to show the Capitol that they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their games." Katniss objects, but I'm not listening anymore.

More than just a piece in their games. That's exactly how I feel. I'm suddenly filled with respect for him, because he's willing to defy the Capitol openly by taking ownership of himself. I know that if I don't win, I'd want him to win.

"Hello?" Meadow asks, bringing me back to reality.

"Huh?"

"They're gone now. You looked like you were in a trance. Are you okay?" she asks.

"Yes, yes," I say.

"If you say so," she says.

I don't remember anything of the walk back to my room. I fall asleep trying to think of a way to defy the Capitol.


	8. Chapter 8: The Games - Day 1

_A/N: My chapters are back to their old length, because each day in the arena will be given its own chapter. Please review! I like to know what you think of it._

**Chapter 8: The Games: Day 1**

The next morning, I wake to Severina's voice, telling me to get up. Severina? Then I remember. The games start today. Her voice is quiet, wise, but sorrowful, because I will probably never see her again.

"Unless you hurry, you will have no time to say goodbye to everyone."

That gets me up. I dress and leave my room, skipping the shower because there will showers in the Stockyard. It's really called the Launch Room, but Wyatt (if you remember, the other district ten victor) coined the term Stockyard after he noticed the similarities. The nickname caught on, and all the outer districts use it.

Outside my room, Austin and Justus are waiting for me. Justus is teary, and he gives me a big tight hug. Awkward, but I let it slide because I might never see him again.

"I've done all I can, and I'll keep doing my best as your mentor," Austin says, "but you have to do your best. Remember, get away from the Cornucopia, find food and water, and stay away from everyone else, with the exception of Meadow's alliance. Please do your best. I know you can win. You have the potential."

"Yes, I promise," I say, realizing that Austin has become like a second father to me.

I don't want to go, but I have to, so I give Austin a quick hug. We take the elevator to the roof, and a hovercraft appears to take us to the Stockyard, located underneath the arena. A ladder comes down, and I'm frozen when I touch it. I'm pulled up, and a woman in white sticks a syringe into my arm and inserts a tracker.

Neither Severina nor I talk on the ride to the arena. There isn't much to say. After the windows black out, we are lowered into the Stockyard. I take a shower, and she orders breakfast. She takes out the uniform I have to wear.

"Expect cold nights, the jacket reflects heat. The shoes are hiking boots, so the terrain might be a little rough." she says, "is it comfortable?" I nod. I will never cease to wonder at how smart she is. We eat breakfast silently, but something is bothering me. I can't pinpoint what it is. I've made up with everyone, right? No, I haven't. I still haven't apologized to Severina.

"I'm sorry," I say, "for my attitude and actions toward you on the first day."

She doesn't answer, but she looks like she's about to cry. Then she hands me an object. I look at it and I realize that it is my token, the disk. I put it in my pocket. I remember Clay's smile, and now I'm in danger of crying too.

Luckily, I still have time to quiet down before I have to step on the metal plate that raises me into the arena. I eat as much as I can, so that I'll enter with a full stomach. Then we wait. I nervously pace on the white tiled floor. I jump when I hear a female voice say, "Prepare for Launch". It starts counting down from thirty. Because she's usually silent, I'm surprised when Severina speaks.

"I will always remember you. Austin told me about your apology to and forgiveness of Meadow. You have a kind heart, and your head isn't corrupted by the games. Do your best, and I'll see you soon."

I step onto the plate as the voice counts.

10

9

8

7

6

I hold Severina's hand.

5

4

3

2

1

A transparent tube comes down and cuts me off from the rest of the world. I feel the plate rising, and everything is black. All of a sudden, I'm blinded by the light. I blink my eyes and look around.

"Let the seventy-fourth annual Hunger Games begin!"

Claudius Templesmith's voice echoes around the arena, and the sixty second countdown begins. The Cornucopia is in a field. To my right is a steep drop off, and I can see fields of grain beyond it. On the other side of the Cornucopia is a lake, and the rest is forest. Perfect for a cripple like me. I look at the other tributes, standing on their metal plates. Step off before the countdown ends, and you're blown up. On my left side stands Circuit, the girl from three. She's fast, but she's weak. Next to her is Marvel. Great. On my right side is, oh no, Cato. Rue is on the other side of him, and she looks equally uncomfortable. I can barely see Meadow, half-hidden behind the Cornucopia, and Jack and Maple also stand in that vicinity.

10

9

8

7

I prepare to run as fast as I can (which isn't all that fast) into the woods behind me.

6

5

4

3

2

1

The gong sounds, and I hobble as fast as I can, not daring to turn around. I keep going and going as screams and shouts fill the air. I don't dare stop. I'm not carrying any supplies, so I'm not bogged down. On the downside, I have no food, no water, and no weapon. The cannons start to go off. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven. Eleven dead. Who died? Did Meadow make it? I tell myself not to worry about it; I'll find out tonight when they play the death recap, but I can't help wondering if she's still alive. I slow to a walk (by my standards) and force myself onwards. I think about Austin's advice. First, stay away from the Cornucopia. Check. He also said to distance myself from the other tributes. I've been walking for at least an hour or so, and I don't think anyone else is around here. What was the last thing he said? Find food and water. First priority: finding water. Where do I start? I saw a lake near the Cornucopia, but the Careers will probably be using it as their water source. I think about water. Water is a necessity, water shimmers in the sun, water is a liquid,...

Water is a liquid. I'm so stupid! Liquids flow downhill! What is the lowest place in the arena? Think, Buck, think! I picture the arena. There's a lake on the other side of the arena; there's probably more water in that area, but it's so far away, and I risk running into other tributes. Where else? The cliff on this side. A cliff! The lowest point in the arena is probably in that direction. I turn right and keep walking.

After a few hours, some of the trees start to look familiar. My fears are confirmed when I see an unusual fallen tree, where I had stopped to rest. I've been going in circles. I am lost, not like I've ever known where everything is. What am I supposed to do? I don't know the arena at all. I pick a direction, hope it works out, and keep walking. I see some berry bushes, which I recognize as safe from the training center. I pick some of them and eat. The juice running down my throat quenches my thirst, and the berries will hold me over until I find more food. I keep walking and walking until I see a glint in the distance. Water! No, it's too high up to be water, so it must be the Cornucopia. That means that I'm scarily close to the Careers, but it also means that I now know where I am. I turn in the right direction, and I press on in a diagonal away from the Cornucopia. I must have wandered a long way last time, because I haven't reached the wheat field.

I go on and on, while the sky grows darker and darker. Great. I'll have to spend the night here. But I can't go to sleep. If I get caught, I'm dead, because I don't have a weapon. Even better. I get to stay up all night.

I hear Panem's national anthem. It must be time for the recaps. I look up at the sky. The first face belongs to Circuit, who was standing beside me. The next one goes to ... Arlen? A Career died in the bloodbath? I guess the newspapers weren't kidding when they said that the Careers would have a hard time. The next ones are Alex from five and Marta and Jason from six.

Jack's face appears next, smiling as he almost always did. I just talked to him two nights ago. Dead? Gone? Maple appears next. So Meadow is on her own; both of her allies dead. The faces of Rick from eight and Dagan and Millet from nine come next. But even after seeing all these dead people in the sky, I'm not prepared when Meadow's face is shown. She's dead?

I feel more ashamed than ever. She went through life feeling guilty, but she never had time to enjoy the freedom of being guilt-free. And it's my fault. I should've forgave her that first night on the train; she would've had a few more days of happiness. Instead, she was troubled by guilt. Did it cause her to lose focus during training? If so, then her five in training was my fault. Would she still be here if her mind wasn't occupied? What if her death was my fault? All of a sudden, her words pop into my head.

"Remember? We both agreed to let go of the past."

Yes, we did, and she wouldn't want me to throw a pity party. She would want me to try my best to move on. I sit down. I can't go to sleep; there are too many risks. I try to focus my mind on something. My mind inevitably wanders to Peeta's words. How can I show the Capitol that I can make my own decisions? I need to stay up. But unwittingly, my eyelids start to droop, and before I realize it, I'm fast asleep.

_A/N This chapter was depressing to write, because I didn't want Meadow to die. But I'm following the books. Maybe I'll write an AU in which Buck or Meadow wins after I finish this one. Anyone like the idea? Let me know your thoughts on it._


	9. Chapter 9: The Games - Day 2

_A/N Thank you to everyone that read or reviewed. You have no idea how much I love getting them._

**Chapter 9:The Games - Day 2**

Sizzle. Snap. Crack.

I wake with a start and look around anxiously. I fell asleep. Why is this so hard for me? The sky is still dark, and I look for any signs of people. Not seeing anyone, I stand up. The Careers hunt at night. Could it be they? No, they would be a lot louder. Where did the noise come from?

Crunch.

I look in the direction of the noise. A small flame flickers in the distance. Who would be so stupid as to start an open fire for everyone to see? The Careers will be here soon; I have to leave this place. I start moving in the direction opposite of the fire. Pretty soon, a cannon sounds. My legs start to tire. Must keep moving. It's hard to see where I'm going. Must keep moving. I have no idea where I am. Must keep moving. The sky starts to brighten, just a little, and I sit down to rest. I've been walking for a while now. Who just died?

I try to remember the ones still alive. Marvel and Glimmer from one. Cato and Clove from two. District Three is gone, wait, no it isn't. Acer survived? Three usually gets wiped out at the Cornucopia. Marina from four, Amber from five. Six and seven are gone, and I try not to think of Jack's friendly face. Sue from eight. It must be her. She absolutely hates the cold, and I don't think the others would be so desperate. Who else is left? Me from ten, Rue and Thresh from eleven, and Katniss and Peeta from twelve. If I don't win, which is more than likely, it wouldn't be surprising if the Careers don't win this year, considering that Thresh, Peeta, and Katniss are all very strong, all three getting Career scores.

Now, on to a more pressing topic. Food. I haven't eaten anything since the berries yesterday afternoon, and I'm getting hungry. Luckily, being from District Ten means that I've learned to ignore hunger, though it would be nice not having to worry about starvation.

I get back up. Once again, I'm totally lost, so I keep walking in the direction I was going in. Hours pass. If I had to guess, I'd say that it's around eight or nine in the morning. And I find no water or food. Of course, there are squirrels and animals, but I don't have a way to catch them. This part of the forest is relatively bare, mainly consisting of tall trees, a leaf littered floor with a few small plants here and there, and a soft soil that I can feel compact underneath my footsteps. This isn't natural, of course, but this is an arena, created by the Gamemakers for the deaths of twenty-three kids. Just the thought makes my blood boil. They want to show everyone that they can control our future; that they can kill us whenever they want. There has to be a way to show them that they can't. I could find something poisonous and eat it, but that would me look like an idiot that accidentally killed himself. There has to be a more obvious way of defying the Capitol.

I walk and walk, pondering this, when all of a sudden, the earth gives way underneath my foot and I fall into a pit.

Thud.

The pit is about two feet deep, and I clamber back out with some difficulty due to the unnaturally soft soil. I brush myself off, and I hear the soft rustling of someone's footsteps on old dried leaves. It sounds like whoever it is is in a hurry. In a panic, I look around, scanning the forest around me. The footsteps get faster and louder, and I whip around to see none other than red-headed Amber speeding toward me with a knife. She's a lot faster than I thought. She thrusts the knife at my chest, but I move to the side, causing the knife to badly cut my left forearm. Pain shoots through my body. I force myself to think quickly. What was her major weakness during training? Yes that's right, brute strength. She's fast, elusive, and sly, but she isn't that strong physically. I return her thrust with a move of my own, tackling her to the ground. She swings the knife at my head, but I duck in the nick of time. I pin her to the ground, secure the arm holding the knife with my right hand, and hold her other arm with one of my legs. She thrashes about, but she can't get me off, since I'm older, heavier, and physically stronger.

Now comes the hard part: disarming her.

Slowly but surely, I pry the knife from her clenched fingers, nicking both of our arms in the process. Finally. Now for the last part: Plunging the knife into her chest. I look at her face one more time. She looks straight into my eyes, and Peeta's words come back to me.

"I don't want them to change me in there, turn me into some kind of monster I'm not."

I realize that the games have changed me. For the past few minutes, I've been trying to think of the easiest way to kill her. If I had been only thinking in terms of self-defense, as I would have before the games, my goal would've been just to disarm her. But I am now about to stick the knife into her chest. The games have changed me into a monster. Severina had said that my "mind wasn't corrupted by the games," but is it getting to me? I won't do this their way. I won't make them happy. I get off of her body, making sure to keep the knife out of her reach, and shakily stand up. She's looks at me in shock, gets up, and dashes away. I think about what I just did. The audience probably hated it, so that means that,

Oh no.

It means that I probably just lost a huge amount of sponsors. I hope that Austin still has some money for when I need it, because this decision might cost me my life. For the first time, I can see that refusing to play the Capitol's games can be a matter of life and death.

The pain in my left arm reminds me of my current situation. I carefully take off my jacket and take a closer look. The cut is deep, and it hurts like crazy, but it isn't long. I look down at the ground, and I see the knife. I have a weapon now! A wave of relief washes over me. If I get jumped, I now have a decent chance. I take the knife, cut a strip off my inner shirt, and do my best to bandage the cut.

Now, back to getting water. Amber is in the area, so there's probably some sort of food or drink around here. If only I knew. She obviously does, so I decide to go in her direction, knowing that I can take her down if necessary.

My suspicions are soon proven correct. I've only been walking for five minutes when I come across a small pool. I look around, and I see that there are many pools and small lakes, connected by a network of creeks and swamps. Bushes and berries grow everywhere.

This area is perfect. It provides shelter, food, and water. No one except Amber is around here, and I can overpower her if it comes down to it. First things first. Water.

All of a sudden, I realize that I don't have a bottle, much less tablets to purify the water. Fine. The berries will have to suffice. I collect as many as I can, and then spend the next few hours gorging on them. By the time I can't eat more, the sun is hot overhead, and it's past noon (I think, I don't have a clock).

I wash my wound in one of the lakes, and it stings. The painful throbbing makes impossible to focus on anything else, but I somehow survive.

I go back and lean against a tree, watching the sun go across the sky. It's strangely peaceful, because I know that the one thing the Gamemakers don't want in the arena (other than cannibalism) is peace. I need stay alert but I decide to enjoy the moment, because I know that I won't have many more of these. I take the disk out of my pocket, and let my mind wander, thinking about Clay.

I first met Clay about five years ago, during the bad years, when I hated going to school and dreaded the horrors it held. It was at lunch, and as always, I was being jeered at.

"Well, you know what crippled animals are good for?" one of the boys had asked. I don't remember what his name was, or even his face, but his words are forever engraved in my memories.

"Yeah, they're good for slaughter!" a girl had said.

"That's all you're good for," another one had concurred.

Then they built off of that, saying how I would die in the games.

That's when the miracle happened. Clay had finished eating and was on his way to the trash can when he overheard them. He walked over and interrupted their mean jokes.

"You know, even the healthy animals end up in the slaughterhouse, so just shut up," he had said. It might have been a little strong, but it shut them up. After that, Clay and I spent a lot of time together, and we were like brothers. So when Weston died, I felt like I had lost part of my family.

I run my fingers along the edge of the disk, remembering him.

"So, thinking about home?"

I grab my knife and look around frantically. "Who's there," I say, still looking at the forest.

"Look up."

I do, and I realize that the intruder was none other than little Rue, who is up in a tree. My muscles relax, and I put my knife down. She scampers down the tree.

"Oh, it's only you," I say, "but why were you up in the tree?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asks, "If I was any closer, you would have cut me up before you realized who it was. Besides, it's a lot safer than being on the ground. "

"I guess."

"So," she says, sitting do, "Were you thinking of home?"

"Yes"

She notices my arm. "Oh, where did you get that?"

"I had a little run in with Amber from five."

"Want me to help you with that? I have some plants that prevent infection," she offers. I smile at her and let her. This is just like Rue; always kind and willing to help.

"You know," she says, "since we don't officially have an alliance, we're supposed to kill each other right now."

"Yeah."

"Do you want to make a treaty? I don't think that we can always stick together because I travel through the trees, so it won't be an alliance, but we can make an agreement. How about, I won't try to kill you, and you won't try to kill me."

"Okay"

"Shake on it?"

"Yes."

She sits beside me, watching the time go by.

"Aren't you with Thresh?" I ask.

"We were supposed to, but we got separated at the Cornucopia. I was sort of looking for him when I saw you, so I decided to drop in for a visit."

Sort of? I let it go, though, because the topic isn't worth pursuing. The sky starts to darken.

"Are you staying around here for the night?" I ask.

"Why not?" she replies, "Then we'll both get more sleep."

"You can sleep first if you want," I offer.

She takes it and climbs up the tree. She sleeps in the trees? Apparently, she does. I lean against a tree and wait. The Capitol anthem plays, but I know no one died. I think about the events of today. Amber's face could've been up there, and I would be closer to home. But I know I made the right decision. The games haven't changed me, not yet.

_A/N My first fight scene! Please tell me what you thought of it. Also, do you guys like the way I depicted Amber/Foxface?_


	10. Chapter 10 : The Games - Day 3

**Chapter 10: The Games - Day Three**

After a few hours, I go over to Rue's tree to wake her, but when I see her sleeping, I can't bring myself to do it. She looks even younger and more innocent and vulnerable when she's asleep. I decide to leave her alone. I sit down at the foot of the tree and look up at the sky. I look at the stars, always twinkling and shining.

I miss my family more than ever. My parents, Clay, and even my brother. Are they thinking about me? What did they think of my refusal to kill? Are my parents proud of me because I had decided to preserve myself and had not wanted to turn into a puppet of the Capitol? Or are they ashamed that I had broken my promise to try my best to get home? The thought scares me, so I try to think of something else. Something happy.

I remember the days I spent playing at the fields with Clay. I hadn't understood why I liked him so much, but looking back, I see that he never exploited my weaknesses. He always played things I had a chance at, not playing to win but for the fun and chance to know others better.

I watch the sun rise into the sky.

"You think a lot, don't you."

I spring away from the tree, grab my knife, and look for the source of the voice. Realizing that it was only Rue, I put the knife down. Not again.

"I guess you're also easily startled," she says. I grin sheepishly, and she laughs, "Did you stay up all night? Why didn't you get me?"

"Umm, let's just get something to eat," I say, avoiding her question. She laughs, and we both go to the large patch of berries and eat them for breakfast, supplemented with some crackers from Rue's bag. I finally pinpoint the reason I like Rue so much. She embodies the young, innocent spirit so much. Just like Weston did. I try not to think about it, and I focus on gathering berries. I notice that Rue is humming.

"You like to sing?" I ask.

"Oh, yes," she says, "In Eleven, we sing everywhere. At home, at school, at work, we'll sing anywhere."

I continue gathering berries and putting then into Rue's bag while listening to her sing. Her voice is soft and sweet, just like a bird. In fact, almost everything about her is reminiscent of a bird; her small size, quick feet, and her ability to silently get around in the trees. She doesn't deserve to be put into this place where kids kill kids, no one does.

I hate the games, the Capitol, the arena, the Gamemakers, the Career districts, and anyone and anything that endorses the games.

I see a patch of other berries. At first glance, they look like normal berries. Upon closer inspection, I see that I have found a patch of nightlock, a highly toxic plant. The fruits of nightlock are more firm than those of its edible counterparts. Perfect. I grab a handful and hide them in a pocket. If I ever need to kill myself, I'll eat them, saving me from a painful death and defying the Capitol, all at the same time.

"Buck," Rue calls, "I think we have enough. Do you want to rest for a while? I can keep watch."

I usually wouldn't agree, but I'm so tired from staying up all night, so I take her up on her offer. I lie down and fall asleep immediately.

I sleep peacefully.

When I wake from my sweet dreams, I see Rue in a tree, staring into space.

"How long was I asleep?" I ask her.

"A few hours," she says, "You went to sleep around nine, and now it's around two. So about four hours."

"Oh"

"Were you dreaming? I'm pretty sure you talked in you sleep."

"Did I?" I ask, "Yeah, I was dreaming." I don't mention that I was dreaming about Weston. "Do you have suggestions on what we should do?"

"Well," she says, "We can't stay here forever; the Gamemakers will chase us out eventually, so I think that we should gather more food for when we leave."

"WE leave?" I ask.

"Why not?"

"So I guess that we are now officially allies," I say.

"I guess so," she says smiling.

We spend most of the afternoon gathering. We dig up tubers in the swamp, pick dandelion leaves, and pick up anything edible. Being picky does not help in the arena. I think about my odds of winning. So far, the odds have totally been in my favor. My mentor understands me, my stylist wasn't a ridiculous selfish person, I did well in training, I got away from the Cornucopia, no one found me when I fell asleep, I wasn't killed by Amber, I found this pond, and now I'm allied with Rue, who knows more about plants than anyone else in the arena, with the exception of Thresh.

"Hey, Buck?"

"Yeah?"

"I just realized that we don't have any way to purify the water. I have a canteen, but that won't help if the water is dirty."

"Can't we just rely on the berries?"

"Those will run out."

I don't have a response to that, so we both just sit by the pond. We've collected more food than bwe can carry, so we snack on some dandelion greens.

"Beep, Beep, Beep"

I look at the source of the noise, and I see a silver parachute.

A silver parachute! Sponsors! I still have some? Or was it for Rue? Doesn't matter.

Rue sees it too, and we both go to it as fast as we can. Rue gets there first, unsurprisingly, and removes the gift, a pack of water purification tablets.

She fills her canteen and drops a tablet in. We wait for the water to purify.

Since we have nothing to do, I use this opportunity to ask her about her use of the word "kind of" yesterday.

"Rue," I say, "Yesterday, you said that you were kind of looking for Thresh. Only kind of?"

She hesitates, then answers the question. "I had already agreed to ally with Thresh. He said that I reminded him of his younger sister when she was my age, and he told me that he would try to protect me. But you know the girl from twelve, Katniss? I have someone at home who is like my older sister. She wanted to volunteer for me, but I told her no. Katniss acted just like she did, and Katniss' token is a Mockingjay pin. To me, mockingjays mean safety. I wanted to ask her during training, but I never got a chance. I was also hoping I would run into her."

"What makes you think she won't try to kill you?" I ask. She pauses a second before answering.

"Because she has a sister, too."

I can't think of anything else to say, so I don't say anything. We watch the sun go down, and then we get ready for another night.

"This time, you sleep first," she says.

"No, you do," I say, "I slept today, remember? You need the rest."

We argue for a while, but she eventually gives in on my promise to wake her up when I'm ready to sleep. She climbs back into her tree, and I sit down, watching.

_A/N Was Rue a little OOC in this chapter? I'd appreciate it if some of you would give me feedback on it. It seems like there is interest in an AU in which Buck or Meadow wins, so I'll be writing that after I finish this one._


	11. Chapter 11 : The Games - Day 4

**Chapter 11: The Games - Day 4**

After a few hours, I start to feel sleepy, so I decide to wake Rue.

"What?" she sleepily asks.

"Umm," I say, questioning my decision because it's times like this that remind me that she's still a young girl.

"Oh," she says, all of a sudden wide awake, "keeping watch. You can sleep now."

"Are you sure?" I say, "You can keep sleeping if you want. I can keep going."

"No, you need to sleep too."

I don't argue since I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open, and I lie down and drift off.

I awake to Rue shouting.

"Wake up! Wake up!"

I sit up, and I see the cause of her panic. In the distance, a wall of fire is quickly coming at us. It's too even, too uniform. The Gamemakers are bored. I stand up while she grabs her backpack, which has all of our supplies, and we run. I'm going as fast as I can, but the fire wall is gaining on me. I know that Rue can go faster, but for some reason, she's decided to go at my slow pace.

"Rue, just keep going!" I tell her, "Don't wait for me! Just keep going."

"No," she stubbornly refuses, "I'll help you."

We keep going, but the wall is getting closer and closer. I feel the heat. The smell of smoke overwhelms my senses.

"Just go, Rue!" I plead, "I don't want you to die too!"

"No, we can both make it, you're not going to die."

"Go!" I say, pushing her on, "Just go!"

"I'm staying here."

"Please! Just keep going! I'm too slow! You can make it out. I can't. Please!"

I plead and shout at her to run, but she refuses. The fire is getting closer, and the intense heat is closing in on us. She shrieks. I look at her, and I see that parts of her clothing have caught on fire. She drops to the ground and rolls and rolls, putting it out. I try one more time.

"Go!" I shout, coughing and gagging.

She finally listens, and she dissapears into the forest. I stumble around, blinded by the smoke. Parts of my clothes catch on fire. I roll on the ground, putting it out, but the fire keeps coming. This is it. I'm going to die. The Capitolites are going to love watching me burn to death. I can't give them the pleasure. Suddenly, I remember my berries. I pull the now cooked nightlock out of my pocket, and I'm about to eat the berries when the fire starts to burn out. I look around in shock. Burning out?

Then it hits me. The Capitol wants to control our lives and our deaths, and it proves it by killing us with the hands of the Gamemakers. If I kill myself, I will be sending the message that they can't control my life, that I can escape the games without their help. I smile.

That's when the ground underneath my feet collapses, and I fall five feet down.

I open my eyes. My body hurts. My legs hurt. My arm hurts. My head hurts. I look up, and I see that I fell of a drop-off. I sit up, causing every part of my body to scream in pain. The wound on my arm is open again, and blood is flowing out of it. My legs are burned and starting to blister, and every movement causes searing pain. I look around, and I see that I'm right beside the grain field. My only priority is water. I'm so thirsty. I don't see Rue, so she must've gone in a different direction. She had all of the supplies. I look at the sky. It isn't even noon yet, but it feels like days have passed since this morning. I stand up, then collapse from pain. The burns on my legs hurt so much that it's hard enough to keep myself from crying out. I crawl around, looking for water. I go along the perimeter, not liking the sinister feel of the wheat. After going for hours and hours, I don't find any water. I'm left with one option: to go into the field. I start, but my legs protest whenever the burned spots are touched.

So begins the painful, torturous trek into the huge field. I have to stop every once in a while because of the pain, but I eventually make it into a small clearing. I rest for a while and check my wounds. The one on my arm has stopped bleeding, but many of the blisters have burst and the pain is still excruciating. I rest for a while, and then I continue my search for water. This cycle is repeated again and again; I crawl through the wheat, find a small clearing, check my wounds, and rest. After what must have been my eighth clearing, I decide to start looking for food.

Wheat is everywhere, but the lifesaving seeds are enclosed in a hard husk. I take a closer look at the wheat, and I realize how stupid I've been. The field isn't only consisted of wheat, but also of barley, millet, oats, corn, and other grains I can't name. Most of these aren't useful with the husk on, but there is one grain that is good off the plant. Corn. That has to be my priority right now. Gathering corn.

I pull back some barley stalks to reach the small clump I just saw, and I see a large tail slither away. Snakes. The thought scares me. I was bitten by one when I was younger, and I've always been afraid of them. I grab my knife and start cutting down the stalks around it because I don't want to take any unnecessary chances. A normal snake is bad enough; a Gamemaker mutt version of a snake is even worse.

I cut down all the stalks surrounding the clump of corn, and start cutting off the ears. I bite into one. It's tough, but it's food. I stuff the rest into the many pockets of my jacket, and I go back to looking for water. It's slow going, because of my burned legs and my fear of snakes, but I cover a lot of ground. No water, and the sky is growing dark. I'm also getting thirstier, and I don't have a way to purify any water I find. I clear a space with my knife, and I get ready for the long night. I know I won't be able to sleep because of my fear of snakes and the pain in my legs, so I just sit.

The anthem plays, but I know that no one died today. I think about it. I came so close to death, but I didn't die. I look at the stars, and I think of Peeta's words again.

"They don't own me."

They don't, and I just showed everyone today for the second time that I don't have to play the games by their rules.

Today, I have again defied the Capitol.

_A/N Another short chapter. Was the second part too boring? Anyway, I'm happy right now because I got a record 93 VIEWS TODAY! (At the time I'm posting this). Thanks to all the readers and reviewers. _


	12. Chapter 12: The Games - Day 5

**Chapter 12: The Games - Day 5**

Boom.

Boom.

I wake with a start and quickly search the grasses for danger. I had fallen asleep. Nothing looks out of the ordinary. My heart is still pounding, and I take a deep breath. Who just died? Was one of cannons for Rue? I know that I have no way of knowing until tonight, so I should calm down, but I can't help but hope desperately that it wasn't Rue.

I look around, and I realize the danger I'm in. Out here, the Gamemakers could send anything at me, and I wouldn't be able to know until whatever it is is too close. I might have died last night if the arena had been quiet. Whatever caused the two deaths kept me alive.

Now, back to the important things. I still have no water, even though the corn should last me a while. I check my wounds; the cut from Amber still causes discomfort, but it'll be fine. On the other hand, my burns still hurt whenever they are touched.

I stand up for the first time since the fire. Before, I either felt too much pain from the fall or didn't have a reason to stand, not wanting to draw attention, but I'd like to get a good idea of where I am. I realize that the field is in a huge basin-like area, with 5 ft walls on each side. I realize how lucky I was. Three of the four walls are rocky cliffs, but the one I fell off of is made of a reddish clayey dirt.

I scan the field for any signs of water. I can see little sections where the wheat doesn't grow, but the grain is up to my shoulders, so it's impossible to see the reason why.

I get back down and start going in a a direction away from the Cornucopia. I've only been going for a few minutes when I almost fall into a pond. Water!

All of a sudden, I'm suspicious. Usually, the arena only has a few sources of water, but this one abounds with it. I decide that the Gamemakers must want us to feel safe so that they can surprise us whenever they want. I clear some grain growing beside the water, so that I have a little room to sit. Now how am I going to purify it? My mouth is getting dry, and if I don't find something to drink, I might die from dehydration. Why isn't Austin sending anything? Do I have more sponsor money? Or maybe he can see something that I can't.

It clicks in my head. There's probably something I'm not seeing. I search the area around the pond. I'm about to give up when I find a backpack.

A backpack? Things sure are strange this year. I cautiously approach it. For all I know, it could be a Gamemaker trap. I poke at it with a cornstalk, expecting it to blow up. Nothing happens. I nudge it even more. Nothing happens. I can't contain my curiosity, so I open it.

It's empty.

Why would anyone leave an empty backpack lying around? Wouldn't it be harder to carry supplies without one? Unless the person had another backpack. I look in all the nooks and crannies of the backpack, but I'm disappointed when I find nothing. I keep it anyway. Now I won't have to carry corn in my pockets.

I keep going, making little marks to help me get back to the pond, and soon, I find another. Again? What in the world is going on here? I look in this one, but I only find a small empty container. I keep it, knowing that it could be useful for storing food. I keep going in that direction, marking the path as I go. Will I find another. I don't, but soon, I come across an empty water bottle. This will be valuable, if I ever get purification tablets. Again and again, I find items in the grain. First another bottle, then a rope, then a first aid kit. I keep going, and I find a backpack. I open it, and to my surprise, I find a set of knives. I search the backpack further, and I come out with a small box of crackers, more empty containers, and a tiny pack of ten water purification tablets.

I want to shout with joy. Water! I follow my marks back to the lake, and I fill up the bottle. I drop a tablet in, and I wait, hungrily eyeing the bottle of water. My throat is dry, and the little bit of saliva in my mouth doesn't help at all. I look up at the sky, the sun is hot overhead. The entire morning spent.

A rustling sound startles me. I grab Amber's knife from my pocket and turn around. There, only a few feet away from me, is a huge snake.

My heart skips a beat. It's the largest snake I've even seen. I can only see its black head, but I can reasonably estimate that it's at least 20 feet long. It's scaley body is about six inches in diameter. A mutt. Bred to kill. I slowly back away, and it advances. I'm scared out of my wits now. I back a little more, and I open the backpack, prepared to take out more knives if necessary. It circles me, looking at me. He circles closer and closer. I take my knife and pin its tail to the ground. Then, I go back to my backpack, grab another knife, and stab it to death. Whew.

I hate snakes. Why didn't it attack? It clicks in my head. Which will be more entertaining to the Capitolites, being bitten and dying immediately or being suffocated to death? If I'm correct, the audience will prefer someone dying slowly. I get a drink of my newly purified water, and I take the bloody knives out of the snake's body. I'm preparing to clean them when I hear hissing from the grain. I turn, and I see three more pairs of sly snake eyes in the grain. Buck, I tell myself, you handled one; you can take these down.

A thought pops into my head. Maybe I can get them before they get me. I take a knife and throw it. I hit one of them, but it seems unfazed.. The three snakes take this as the sign to attack and they all come at me.

The next few minutes are terrifying. I dodge, kick, stab, and do anything I can to keep the snakes away from me. Several times, my burns are touched, and I scream in pain. Eventually, I pin down all the snakes, and I kill them one by one, cutting off the heads.

I look back at my supplies and take a drink of water.

The water doesn't last long, and it's completely gone in less than ten minutes. I'll need to manage my thirst better, or else my meager supply of tablets will be gone in a day or two. I clear out more room, knowing that snakes like having places to hide. Afterwards, I sit at the lake and stare into space, wondering. Wondering about my parents, Clay, my brother and how they're taking this. I wonder about Rue and if she's safe. I also wonder about Meadow and Jack. Are they in a better place? Are they watching over me now? I can't bear to think about them anymore, so I mentally change the subject.

I think about how things have been since I entered the arena. I've been incredibly lucky; been at the right place at the right time, encountered death many times but haven't died. I've fallen asleep so many times but was never found and killed, Amber wasn't close enough to kill me immediately when I fell into her pit, I found the lake that Rue happened to pass by, I wasn't burned to death or severely hurt by my fall, I happened to find the pond and the backpacks, and now I was able to kill all the snakes when I was supposed to be killed.

However, I don't feel safe here anymore. The incident reminded me that the wheat field poses its own dangers. I should leave this place. I stand up, and my heart sinks. I am in the middle of the field, with all four sides visible in the distance. Better get a head start now. I decide to go to the side opposite of the area I fell. I fill both of my water bottles, and I start in that direction. I stay close to the ground though, because someone else is probably in here, and I'd rather not have an encounter. By nightfall, I'm halfway to my destination. I clear out some oats to give myself some room, not wanting to meet any more snakes.

The anthem plays, and I remember the cannons this morning. The first face belongs to Glimmer. A Career? I haven't recovered from shock and joy when the other face appears in the sky. It's Marina's. Two Careers? And the person got away?

The odds have been in my favor so far, but I can only hope that they stay that way.

_A/N Thus ends a mediocre chapter (in my opinion). I know, it seems unreasonable to find stuff like those lying around, but it'll be explained in the next chapter. Also, I didn't give many details on the snake attack because I didn't have any details in mind. Sorry. I also wrote "or" about the AU because I haven't worked out all the details yet. Still deciding on what to do. BTW, I miss Meadow too._


	13. Chapter 13 : The Games - Day 6

**Chapter 13: The Games - Day 6**

If the games have taught me anything, it's that I can't stay up all night. It's true; no matter how hard I try, I can't stay awake.

So when I wake up to another day in the arena, I'm not surprised that I had fallen asleep. Still, I need to get better at this; my luck won't always hold out. I eat an ear of corn, and I prepare for the journey onward, packing everything into the backpack. As usual, I crawl for a while, then I stop when my burns bother me, which is pretty often. This goes on for a while until I find myself beside a small rocky pond, staring into the eyes of Thresh.

Thresh stands beside his pond, looking at me. He appears to have gained some weight, and he is carrying three backpacks that are bursting at the seams. He must have left those items I found behind since he couldn't carry them with him. We stare at each other. I am terrified, because I know that I'm dead if he decides to attack. For some reason, he doesn't. He just stands where he is, always looking at me. Finally, he gives me a small nod, and he leaves.

I let out the breath I had been holding, and I can't help but let out a small laugh. Apparently, I'm not the only one standing up to the Capitol this year. Thresh just did so by refusing to kill me. If everyone thought this way, we could rebel. I'm shocked at my own thought. Rebel? Would it work? I guess I'll never find out, because I'm probably going to die in this arena. Even if I win, it'll probably be hundreds of years before we districts attempt another rebellion.

I look at this pond. It's surrounded by rocks of various sizes, and the water is a foot or two deep. In it grow water-lilies and other water plants, making this one more hospitable. If I wasn't trying to get out of this field, I would stay here, but the grains hide many dangers, so I'd like to leave as soon as possible.

The remaining trip is painful, having to stop all the time because of my burns, but I reach my destination, the empty strip on the edge of the field. This side is a rocky wall about six feet tall. I can see the trees on top. How am I going to get up there?

"Beep, Beep, Beep"

I have sponsors? I thought that they'd hate me by now for refusing to kill Amber, attempting suicide, and having a boring encounter with Thresh. But it's obvious that someone still wants me alive. I follow the sound to the gift, and I nearly shout from joy.

It's a whip.

Austin was able to get enough sponsors. I pick up the treasure. This whip is better quality than the one I have at home, but most importantly, it'll hurt more than the one I have at home. Now I just need something to try this on. As if to answer my thoughts, I hear a low growl. I look in the direction of the sound, and there, a yards away, coming out from the grass, is a cougar.

We don't have cougars inside district ten, but I have seem them outside the electric fence in the plains that surround it. Even from a distance, I can tell that cougars can be dangerous. Considering that this is a mutt, I know for sure that this is dangerous. I've seen them run and jump, if I don't get him before he gets to me, I'm dead.

It starts running at me. It's now or never. The whip lashes out, striking him and coiling around his legs. I give strong jerk, and he falls over trying to get free but only entangling himself. That was the easy part. Now I just have to kill it . I could throw knives at it, but I risk cutting the whip. Or I could go up to it and stab it to death. This way poses a greater risk, but it's the only way to kill it without ruining my new gift.

I pull out Amber's knife and advance, making sure to stay away from his paws. I get close to its back and I'm about to stab it when one of his paws breaks free and swipes at my left arm, leaving a gash. I shriek in pain and immediately stab it again and again until I know it's dead.

Panting, I think about what I just did. I just showed everyone that I'm not a weakling, but a healthy strong person who has an chance. I look at the gash in my arm. It's hurts like crazy, and blood streams out. I remember the first aid kit I found, so I take off my backpack (slowly, not wanting to hurt the gash) and take it out. I look in the kit for the first time, and I take out a roll of gauze and a cream to prevent infection. Since I have next to no experience with medical skills, I'm not sure if I'm doing this right, but I rub the cream on the wound and wrap my arm in bandages.

Now I just have to get up the face of this cliff. I walk along it until I find a stop with a less steep slope, and I try to climb it. I'm doing fine until I step in a slippery stop.

"Thud"

I fall back down and yelp in pain as my burned legs make contact with the ground. This cliff is only six feet tall, but it's extremely hard to climb. Besides, one foot is crippled, my legs hurt when the burns are touched, and my left arm isn't much help because of Amber's cut and the cougar's gash. I try again, climbing up the wall, but the burn on the right leg hits a rough spot on the rocks and I fall back down because of the unbearable pain.

It's obvious now that I won't be able to get up there with my legs screaming every other step. I sit down with my back against the wall, trying to think of a way up. It's already past noon and probably around two in the afternoon, so I have less than half a day to get out of here. Who knows what might happen tonight.

I have to try again. I do, and I fail again. This pattern is getting annoying.

"Beep, beep, beep"

More sponsors? I have that many? Or maybe one of them is exceptionally rich. I find the silver parachute and look at the the small container.

Burn cream.

I rub it onto my burn, and the pain goes away. I put on my backpack and try scaling the wall again. This time, I almost make it, but a wrongly placed step causes me to fall back down. More determined than even, I get back to the wall. I make it.

A little sore but happy, I look at the forest in this side of the arena. Unlike the forest I had been in, this one is predominantly made up of underbrush and trees with a lot of low lying foliage. Perfect for a person who's trying to hide. I make my way into this dense forest, watching for signs of the other tributes. First priority: water.

Two bottles won't last forever, even if I try to conserve it. I push away more branches and keep going. I search for water for most of the rest of the day, with no success. I do find small caves everywhere, though, and I decide stay in one covered with vines for the night. The anthem plays, and I try to stay awake, but as always, I fall asleep.

_A/N I feel OK about this chapter. I have 7 followers! (I'm in a hurry so I won't say more)_


	14. Chapter 14 : The Games - Day 7

**Chapter 14: The Games - Day 7**

I wake up this time without chiding myself, because this place is so concealed that it's not likely to be found by anyone else. I unwrap the gauze on my arm, and the blood has clotted. I rub more anti-infection cream on it, and wrap it with new gauze. I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't found Thresh's extra belongings. I crawl out of the cave and put on my backpack. Just then, I hear a quiet rustling in the underbrush. I stand still. The noise gets closer and closer. Suddenly, Amber steps out into the tiny clearing in front of my cave. I notice that she's unarmed. She looks around, sees me, and speeds away. So this is where she was.

I know that she doesn't pose much of a threat to me, but I go in the opposite direction to the direction she took when she ran, because I'd rather stay away from everyone else.

I trek through the dense forest looking for water, stopping every once in a while to use the burn cream. I'm walking past another cave when I see another patch of nightlock. Perfect. I had lost my supply when the ground crumbled underneath my feet and fell, so I'm eager to restock. You never know when you might have to commit suicide. After all, these are the Hunger Games. Then I realize that today is the seventh day. I've managed to stay alive for an entire week, surpassing all the expectations. I pick some of the poisonous berries, place them into a container in my pocket, and continue on my search for water.

I've already used up one bottle since the last time I refilled, and I'm trying to avoid using up my other too quickly. If nothing happens, this will probably last a few days, but knowing the Gamemakers, I'm sure that they won't leave me alone. The forest goes on and on, and it seems like it'll never end. I enter a less dense area that is mostly made up of tall pine trees.

All of a sudden, I hear a rumbling sound. The earth starts to shake.

Earthquake.

I find myself thrown to the ground. The rumbling continues. I hear a snap, and a large branch lands with a loud thud right beside me. A hear a louder deeper crack. I look behind me. A tree is getting ready to fall, and I scramble away from it. Another tree falls in the distance. More and more branches fall, but none of them hit me. Is it because I'm just so lucky? The reason suddenly becomes clear. The Gamemakers can control where the branches fall. If they wanted me dead, a tree would've fallen on me. They probably think that being crushed is too boring, so they're trying to chase me out of this area.

This time, I oblige. The falling trees all around me scare me, and they might decide to kill me now if I don't leave. I hurry out of that section and back into the dense forest. I take a drink of water, and I'm reminded of my need for another source of water. This thick forest makes it hard to see, making my job harder. But I need the water, so I persist. It's hard to focus on this boring task, so I think about home..

Are they watching me? I'm pretty sure they were when the earthquake happened, but are they now? What are they thinking now? Is Clay with them?

"Rrrrrrrrrrip"

I look around, and I see that I have walked into a patch of brambles. A thorn caught my jacket and has ripped a hole in it. I slowly back out, trying to avoid getting scratched, but my legs and arm are covered with little trickles of blood by the time I get out. They aren't deep, and my arms barely feel it, but my legs ache. I suppose that cuts and burns don't go well together.

I rub some cream on it and take a break. Judging by the light, it looks like it around noon, so I unpack and eat. Which direction should I go next? I look at my options. There are the brambles, but I'd rather not go there. Another side leads to the earthquake section, so I'm not going there. Another direction looks like the dense forest I've been in most of the time, and my last option is a more open forest. I choose the last, because I really don't want to push through dense foliage with all my little cuts. I pack all my supplies and continue walking. After walking for an hour, I stumble across another pond. How lucky can a tribute get? I refill my bottles, and look around this pond. Like the one I was at with Rue, this one is surrounded by berry bushes, so I go pick them. I wander a little far, but I find my way back.

When I go back to the pond, my jaw drops in shock. The water is completely gone, and all that is left is a damp basin. The Gamemakers must have drained the pond while I was gone. I look at the bushes, and they all wither, one by one. The Gamemakers must not want me here. That's why I'll stay. I'm getting ready to unpack when I hear a gurgling sound coming from the now dry pond. A green liquid is rapidly filling it. A stick falls into it, and it dissolves.

On second thought, I think I'll leave. The liquid starts to go over the banks of the old pond and corrodes all the grass and dead leaves. I'm starting to panic now, and I go off as fast as I can. After running for what seemed like forever, I stop to rest. The liquid is nowhere to be seen, so I think I'm safe. But that means I'm close to the other tributes. I look at where I am and see that it isn't a bad place. The trees here are mostly oak, and there are enough bushes to provide cover without being overcrowded. I decide to stay here for the night, because the light is starting to dim. I sit, thinking of home, until night falls and I'm fast asleep.

_A/N I personally thought that this one was better than the previous 2 or 3 chapters. Am I the only one? The end of the story is coming soon, and then I can start work on the AU. Thank you to all the readers and especially the reviewers and followers. _


	15. Chapter 15 : The Games - Day 8

**Chapter 15: The Games - Day 8**

The sound of feet crunching on dry leaves pulls me out of my dreams. It must be early, because the sun hasn't come up yet. It sounds like there are multiple pairs, and I can see moving lights in the distance, coming in this direction.

No, No, NO.

Only one group I know loudly travels at night.

The Careers.

I can feel myself starting to panic. Calm down, I tell myself, panicking only ruins my concentration. Maybe if I keep quiet, they won't notice me.

"Crrrrrrraaaack"

The sound came from the tree I'm leaning against. Was it a squirrel? No, if it was a squirrel, there would be more than a single crack. The crack would've been followed by the patter of its feet. Animals would've make other noises too instead of a single crack. What was it?

The answer becomes crystal clear. Who drove me into this place? The Gamemakers. Who gets paid for killing kids? The Gamemakers. Who controls everything in here? The Gamemakers. Who have I insulted and defied? The Gamemakers. They must've made the noise in the tree, just to get back at me for trying to do things my way instead of theirs. The lights move faster in my direction. The Careers heard the crack. No surprise, since the Gamemakers wanted them to hear it. I need to move out, and quickly.

I grab my whip and put the knives in my pocket. I might need them. I get up, making more noise in the process. Not like that'll make a difference. I start running as fast as I can, which isn't all that fast. I have to think. I definitely won't be able to outrun them in this part of the woods; there aren't enough things to delay them. But what if I went to the dense woods? I know the place, and they'd have trouble in the undergrowth. There are also plenty of caves to hide in. I change my direction.

It feels like forever, but I know I'm there when I trip over some low-lying branches. I set up a few more, just to buy me some time. The sky is still dark. As long as it stays dark, I have the advantage here, since I know this place and how it works better than they do. I run a few yards, then pause to move some vines or reposition a branch. I keep running. The Careers have reached the first branches, and I can hear them curse as they trip over low ones or run into higher ones. I stop again to set up more distractions, and keep going. I find a cave and I duck into it. The Careers are still shouting and cursing as they encounter more delays. Eventually, they pass the entrance to the cave. I hear them outside, running by. I count four pairs of feet. Four? There's Cato, Clove, and Marvel. Who's the last one?

I don't have much time, so I don't dwell on it. I get out and run in the opposite direction. Little bands on color are starting to creep across the sky, so I know that staying here won't be very useful.

The Careers have realized that they were tricked and are coming in my direction. I keep going. I know that they will soon catch up, so I need to think of something else.

"Rrrrrrrrrripppp."

More brambles. Perfect! It's too bright to rely on logs and branches, but in the dim early morning light, these thorny brambles will be almost invisible. I quickly cut some down with my knife and position them all around the area. I keep running, and before too long, I hear Clove's screech and Marvel's shout. They're gaining on me.

Think, Buck, think!

I could fight back, but I'd like to save that as a last defense. Come to think of it, I am down to my last defense. But whips and throwing knives aren't ideal in the woods. I'll have to go somewhere more open. Suddenly, the woods end, and I'm in a open field. I see the Cornucopia; I'm back where I began. I back further into the field, put the whip away, and take out my knives. I see them in the woods, getting closer and closer, and I can see that the fourth member of the group is Acer, the boy from three. What is he doing with them? But if he's decided to ally with the Careers, then he's my enemy too.

I see Cato's hulky body and throw the first knife. He dodges, but all four slow down, obviously shocked. They didn't know I had weapons. Marvel advances first, confirming my suspicion that he wasn't very smart, or careful, to sy the least. I let another knife go. This one hits him on his right shoulder, and he backs away a little. I let the knife go, one at the time. And I used to think that hitting dummies were hard. The knives whiz through the air. Miss. Miss. Miss.

They come closer, and I'm down to my last knife. I have to make this count.

I throw.

I miss.

They laugh.

"What are you going to do now?" Cato jeers. "You're out of weapons."

I back away, giving me a little time to pull my long coiled whip out of my backpack.

"How's a rope going to help you?" Marvel laughs while he advances, "It isn't going to keep me from sending this spear through you." He gets ready to throw the spear, but Cato and Clove back off a little, realizing what I have. Quickly, I make the whip lash out and coil around his legs. Taken by surprise, he looks down, while I jerk the whip as hard as I can. He falls, dropping the spear and cursing. I give the whip a nice hard steady pull, and it untangles and comes back. Marvel gets back up, and I send the whip at his face. I was right about the whip hurting a lot; it leaves a bloody line across he face. He shouts and stumbles backwards. Clove leans over and whispers something to Cato, who tells Marvel. Together, all three come at me.

"Maybe you could take on Marvel," Cato taunts, "but I just dare you to take down all three of us. You could just give up now; I'll make your death quick."

I know he won't keep his promise, so I respond by sending the whip flying. Clove ducks, but Cato isn't as fortunate, and the whip hits his arm, cutting through his jacket and causing blood to flow out.

"Fine, if this is what you want, WE'LL GIVE IT TO YOU," he shouts.

They all come forward, and I let the whip fly. I've never done so well or gone so fast. It first coils around Clove's leg and sends her crashing into Cato. He steadies her while I whack Marvel again and again. Then I trip him, sending him reeling into Clove, knocking her over, while Cato gets sliced across his chest. I then trip Cato, who lands on his allies. They all are furious now. I hit Clove's left arm as she's about to throw. The force ruins her aim, she was probably going for the heart, but the knife still hits my right arm, causing me to drop the whip. She throws another, and I feel intense pain as it lodges into my intestines. I feel the hard ground as I collapse. I struggle to sit up.

No.

My luck has run out.

I pull out the knife. I intend to fight until I die. I won't be remembered as a weakling; I'll be remembered as a person who did his best with the life he was given. The three of them surround me. I could try to fight, but it feels as if the energy is being sapped out of me, and both of my arms hurt too much for me to do anything. Cato comes up to me.

"I offered you a quick death," he says, wrenching the knife from my hands,"Why didn't you take it? Now you'll die slowly, and I'm sure the audience will love the show." I know my parents and Clay won't, but I don't say anything.

Clove calls Acer over, and he obeys. The four stand around me, and Cato slides the knife on my chest, creating an "x." The pain is excruciating, and I grit my teeth to keep myself from making any noise. I won't give them that satisfaction. He steps back and hands the knife over to Marvel.

"Your turn," he says.

Marvel gleefully walks up and draws a circle on my chest. I know what they're doing. They're going to cut me up, slowly but surely. I'm filled with hate. I hate the Careers. I hate my crippled foot. I hate the Games. But most of all, I hate the Capitol and those who cheer for my death. I've denied them so much; Amber's death, my burned corpse, a fight with Thresh. I can't give them this one. I vcan imagine the Capitol crowds cheering the Careers on. I remember my nightlock. I slowly reach into my pocket. It takes all my willpower and strength to pull out the container and remove the lid.

"What is it," Cato demands, taking it away. When I don't answer, he grabs the knife from Marvel and demands again. "Tell me, WHAT IS IT."

"You know Cato," Clove interjects, "if he won't talk, ask Acer. I saw him at the edible plants station."

Cato leaves me and commands Acer, "Tell me what this is."

"I-it-it's nightlock, a tox-toxic b-berry," Acer stutters. He is just as scared of them as I am. Maybe joining the Careers wasn't his idea.

"Well," Cato says, talking to me, "Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that."

He tosses the berries, and with it goes my hope.

I can't give the stinking Capitol what they want. I just can't.

"Clove," says Cato, "Do you want to take a turn?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," she says. She takes the knife.

The knife.

I don't have to die slowly.

"To show them that they don't own me," Peeta had said.

And that's exactly what I am going to do.

They might have been able to control my life, but I won't let them control my death.

She starts to come toward me.

I close my eyes and picture everyone I could consider a friend for the last time. My parents. My brother. Clay. Austin. Justus, even with his constant nonsense. Cheyenne. Meadow, Jack, Weston.

"I'll be with you soon," I mouth as I picture the last three.

Clove is now kneeling beside me, holding the knife out above my beaten and bloodied chest as she tries to decide how to cut me. I summon all my strength.

And plunge myself into the knife in her hands.

A cannon sounds.

_A/N And the story is now (almost) finished, except for the epilogue, which will be in Clay's POV. Thank you once again for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting. What did you think of it? I'm always open for suggestions and tips. I will be starting on the AU soon. I hope you've enjoyed the story. And may the odds be ever in your favor (Sorry, I couldn't resist)._

_By the way, someone asked how old I am. I'm 13 (more info is on my profile)._

_Joseph M_


	16. Epilogue

**Epilogue - Clay's POV**

It's been a week since the games, when the unexpected pair from twelve won the games. Two weeks since Buck killed himself. His death crushed me at first, because he was just like another brother. When Weston died, Buck was there to support me, but I've had to go through this journey alone. I moped around for the first week, not bothering to try anything, avoiding everyone else.

But when Katniss and Peeta won with an act of rebellion, I realized that the Hunger Games this year have been a spark. How? The 74th Hunger Games were more rebellious than ever, starting with Buck's refusal to kill Amber, his attempted suicide, and his final suicide; added to by Thresh's unwillingness to kill Buck and his letting Katniss go at the feast; and finished by Katniss and Peeta with their threat of double-suicide.

Buck wouldn't want us to move on with life as if nothing had happened; he'd want us to fan the flames. He hated the Capitol; he told me himself. He even once said that he'd be willing to die if it meant that the Capitol was overthrown. Little did he know that he would. But his actions, along with Thresh's and the victors', have prepared Panem for a rebellion.

We won't forget their sacrifice.

We will fight.

_A/N This story is now officially complete. I'm sorry if this was a little short. How was it? What areas can I improve on? The AU will be up in at most a week; I just need to work out a few details. Someone asked about my age last time, but I had a little mix-up and I edited chapter 15 to answer the question after they read it. All my info (that I'm willing to give, including my age) is on my profile. Thanks for reading!_

_Edit: The AU is now up; find it on my profile. _


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